Friday, December 28, 2007

Slowing Down...
















So further evidence that I'm getting older is the fact that everything is just that much harder on my body. About a month ago or so I noticed I was starting to pack on the pounds and while I wasn't close to hitting my fat peak when I was 182 lbs, I was at a slightly unsettling 174. I decided I needed to lose some weight immediately and figured 10 pounds this month would be enough. When I was at 182 I was 22 years old and it took me 3 weeks of running a mile every other day to lose 15 lbs. This was only about 3 years ago so I thought it should take about as long to lose 10 lbs. It hasn't. I've only lost 8 lbs and to do that I've not only been running more than a mile just about everyday, but also I changed my diet. I have 2 days left before I leave for DC for new years and hopefully I can lose those pounds.

It's strange to start thinking about my health when it seems like just yesterday when I was in high school eating 3 bags of chips, cookies and a coke for lunch. But I'm getting older and if I don't start doing it now it will only get harder the older I get. Now I have to cut back on carbs, I try and not put salt into anything I cook, I have only been drunk once in the last 2 months and I cut out fast food which turned out to be the hardest thing. I have never really been one to eat a lot of fast food, it's not that great and it extremely bad for you. But as I had pretty much been living in my car and on the road and city to city from August to November I had grown accustomed to getting a regular fix of chicken nuggets and spicy chicken sandwiches. It's been a while since I've had any fast food and while I feel great I find myself craving the aforementioned golden nuggets of pure deliciousness more often that not.













Also as a reminder of my age, I was knocked over playing basketball 2 days ago and my back and ass were sore the entire day yesterday. I had to take 2 Tylenol to not wince every time I moved. It was ridiculous. I have never been so sore from one seemingly innocuous fall. I remember recently feeling the same after a trip to Florida when I got pounded by some waves and I vowed to regain my body of my youth by falling a lot and building up tolerance for it but that's a pretty lame idea. Falling sucks and I don't really want to do it anymore.

Anyways, I'm going to try and get out the few blogs I have been to lazy to write before I take off to DC on Sunday so look for many blogs over the next few days. Go big and stuff..

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - Last year one of my 'resolutions' was to cut out all meat but chicken and seafood. I have done that pretty well. I had a few slip ups when I ate things that I was unaware that had pork in them and also amended the resolution for include turkey. But other than maybe 5 meals I stuck to my convictions and it's pretty awesome. Chicken, even though it's the greatest thing on the planet, is also not that great for you. So for this year I plan on slowly phasing it out. Eating more seafood and less chicken. I am going to try and cut back from eating it pretty much 7 days a week (usually twice a day) to no more than 7 meals a week. It sounds like it's still a lot but if you think about it there's 21 meals a week and I'm only having chicken in 33 percent of those meals. Hopefully I will have about 10 that include various types of seafood and turkey and then at least 4 or 5 that are vegetarian.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas...

And a Happy New Year. If you're going somewhere, travel safe. People like to drive crazy on the roads so you gotta watch out for them.



Out like Santa

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - make sure you recycle your wrapping paper!!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Hectic Holidays...














Sorry for going AWOL for a bit. I'd like to say that my recent hiatus from blogging was due to me globe trotting but unfortunately my life has been pretty boring lately and I've just had nothing to talk about. Nothing has been upsetting me or making me want to speak out really but I figure I need to write something or people will turn elsewhere to cure their boredom.

I love christmas. It's not my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving is) but it's still pretty awesome. I love the snow and the idea of christmas (essentially turkey day with presents), I love the 'holiday spirit' and even christmas music. But I hate the other side of it also. The thing that keeps it from being the best day of the year is all the ridiculous buildup to it. All the shopping and worrying about what to get people and traffic and crowded malls. It's pretty crazy. Now I don't personally have a lot of people to shop for which is good and I'm also not one to get stressed out, especially with something as silly as shopping, but everyone else being stressed out and over caffinated people pushing their way through lines is not my idea of a good time.















It really takes all the fun out of the holiday when all people care about is their obligation to buy things for other people. It's kind of ridiculous. The whole point of the holiday is to hang out with people and have a good time, drink some hot chocolate and not worry about stuff. People don't really care what you buy them and if you feel obligated you probably shouldn't be buying them anything at all. You should give because you want to, not because you have to. And if you don't want to, good for you. The roads could do without you on them.

The only thing worse than waiting in line at a store to pay for something is waiting in line in your car for some asshole to park close to the store because apparently their legs are broken and they can't walk an extra 30 feet. One thing I love about NYC was that people walk everywhere. I had to carry my groceries 5 blocks to my apartment and you can't park 30 feet from the door when you are gonna bring your cart outside anyways? Seriously? Stop being such a fat lazy middle american and use your legs.

Anyways, that's all for now. More later. I've got a lot of lists and things to talk about before I take off for DC for new years with the boys from Ibodera. As always, go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - Will Smith is probably one of the few actors who could carry a movie literally by themselves. I love him. And Tom Hanks of course. Lots of movies out now and coming soon, support the industry. Holiday

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Paw-Paw!









Are you f-ing serious. This story is too much. This 5 year old kid shot and killed a bear. Now, I'm okay with hunting (not exactly hunting but hunters who generally have a good concept of wildlife conservation not to mention land preservation) but this is insane.

First of all five year olds shouldn't be wielding guns. This dude gave his 5 YEAR OLD a loaded shotgun. That's unacceptable. Even worse is that the kids dad started to teach him to shoot when he was 2 1/2 years old! Seriously? He killed 3 deer last year when he was 4. I understand that he's a descendant of Davy Crockett but WTF. This is yet another reason I think the 2nd Amendment needs to be modified. They should probably ask people if they intend to let their 5 year old use the gun they are buying.

This story rules on some levels though. Mostly the southern vernacular.

"It came from the thicket and it was beside the road and I shot it." It sucks how jealous I am that this kid gets to use the word 'thicket'.

"'Paw-paw I squeezed the trigger and I didn't close my eyes. I killed him." Paw-paw. Possibly the greatest word in print.

I'm out. Don't forget to give a loaded gun to a 5 year old. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Go big or go home. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. Life's short, live large.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - Some of you may have heard that they are only doing one more upgrade/repair to the Hubble Telescope / Space Station and then are never going back. It is going to keep taking awesome pictures for like 10 more years and then it's just gonna hang out in orbit for the rest of eternity. Isn't it bad enough that we can't keep our cities clean? Now we have to leave our trash in orbit as well?

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Barak The Vote..














So like I said before, I decided on a candidate. I decided to put my money where my mouth is and not worry about electability. I am going with Obama for many reasons, but mainly I believe he has the power to change things in a way that no other candidate can. The other reasons vary from his stance on issues to the fact that I just like him as a person to a t-shirt I got off his website that says, "Barak The Vote."

You know what didn't compel me to pick him? Oprah. I could care less what she thinks. I used to think she had good opinions based on a couple of her book recommendations but quickly realized that her taste in books is pretty stale and one dimensional. Not that I don't think that her endorsement won't help him. She will actually probably bring some votes with her. I find that completely absurd. What kind of person actually votes on a person based on what some TV talk show host thinks.














It seems that lately celebrity endorsements have become increasingly prevalent. Chuck Norris' endorsement for Huckabee was pretty much my breaking point. Since when does Chuck Norris have an effect on US Government. He was pretty f-ing sweet in Delta Force but I don't think that gives him any sort of real grasp on influencing people's votes. I feel like I have about as much chance convincing people to vote for Obama as Norris does for Huckabee.

Whatevs. I'm out. Go big....

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - i forgot to mention last time that the second part of the last subaru diaries was much more entertaining than the first.

Friday, December 07, 2007

More Diaries...

So here are the 2 episodes of my return trip from LA. When my hard drive died in cali I lost Final Cut which is the program I used to edit and it breaks my heart to use the lame iMovie that came with my computer, so excuse the lack of titles and overlays. It is still funny (I think) you just have no idea where I am or how long I've been in the car.





-M

oh ps - i also made one for my last trip to ny which should have some hilarious moments and I'll get that up very soon.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

The 2nd Amendment...

I was going to talk about Romney and his religion speech, but I wanted to mention something I've always been opposed to which is the right to bear arms. Well not the entire amendment but I think it needs to be updated. I understand people who want to have a hunting rifle in their home. I even understand people who want to have a handgun in their home for protection. I even understand people who take cross country road trips on their motorcycles who need to carry a pistol (or any concealed handgun) for protection. 

This is an SKS Assault Rifle. The one that kid used yesterday at the mall. 














What I don't understand is the right to own Assault Rifles. I mean the name alone is reason enough to outlaw them. Assault? Really? Who are these people who need assault rifles? Are they secret agents working for the government? Are they in the Michigan militia, which has done nothing to save anyone in my lifetime. Are they super cops gone rogue defending our country from bad guys? 

More often than not, it seems the only thing people are buying them for is killing other people, and not while protecting their homes. Instead they're killing people at school or in the Sudan or, like yesterday, in a mall in Omaha. I'm hoping that some future president will have the balls to give a big f-you to the NRA and crazy white folks in middle America who think it's their right to carry assault rifles. 

It is an old, outdated bill. It needs to be modified. It needs to eliminate the sale of anything more than a handgun. It's absurd that I can go out and buy a gun. I understand that people want to take their guns out and go to a shooting range and hit some targets or whatever it is they shoot, so why not have a system where you use the guns the shooting range owns. My solution would be to get rid of all the guns but that's not really feasible. My point is that this country needs to change a lot of it's practices because it seems to be going to hell in a hand basket.

 That's all for now. More in a bit. Finally editing subaru diaries volumes 2 and 3. Both are pretty funny. As always, go big...

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - grammy noms out today. I hate the grammys but it reminds me that the year is winding down and I need to do some best of lists. Many blogs on the horizon as I am still jobless and bored. 

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Better Pic...

The last video of Heidi Collins didn't do her justice. Here's a better pic. She's much better looking when she's telling you the news.

Hannah Montana...



















Not sure how the latest young starlet turned jail bait got so famous but there sure is a lot of hulabaloo about this chick. Miley Cyrus is, I believe (and I don't really care enough to check my facts), the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus - the legendary country star. She is playing (or singing or whatever it is she does as her alter ego Hannah Montana) at the Palace and apparently it's the first time ever that they are selling an artists merchandise a day ahead of time because they expect the crowds to be enormous. 

The reason I mention this is that I have never heard her utter a word let alone sing a song, and I don't know any adults who have either (not that I have surveyed anyone but I assume based on my own better than average pop knowledge that others know less than I). This is another example of the buying power kids hold in the world. It's crazy to think that a group of people that essentially have no money and no job (unless they're in Asia), have so much influence in the economy. Think about all the modern day spending crazes: Elmo, Beanie Babies (I still don't understand - are they just little stuffed animals?), Furby, Video Games (though that's equally an adult craze) and pretty much any "have to have" item. 

I guess there aren't a whole lot of things for adults to get excited about. I mean there's the iPhone, but beyond that the average adult already has everything they need. A wardrobe and food is about it. 

Anyways, I'm just rambling. Here are some other rambles I wanted to talk about but didn't have enough to say about them so I'm just going to post some cool pics.
























First is an image of Honest Abe who I found out had the most symmetrical face of any president. The second is the jaw bone of a whale at the center of an oil controversy in Northern Alaska. Don't wanna get into but again Bush is the reason for the controversy. F-ing oil. 


Lastly, does anyone know where my girl Heidi Collins disappeared to? She used to be on CNN in the morning and made my morning news viewing the highlight of my morning. Nothing better than watching a smoking hot classy chick tell me what is going on in the world. Anyways, if you know when she's on now, let me know.



I'm out

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - might be offline for a hot minute so don't fret if I don't blog for a few days.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

This is Why I'm Hot...

Finally found the info about the show I worked on when I was in LA. I think it's on Discovery Health. Check it out. I don't get that channel so tell me if I look fat..

Fit to Live
Friday, January 11 at 8pm e/p

News events put harsh realities of life in front of us every day. At any time, we could face a crisis, and accident, a natural disaster. We may not think of fitness as a survival factor in these situations. But ask yourself: do you have the basic endurance, strength, and agility to escape a disaster zone? If you had to climb 12 flights of stairs to be rescued from the roof of a burning building … could you do it? Hoist yourself out of a broken elevator … could you do it? Carry an injured co-worker to safety … could you do it?

In a radical new television program, five people will take the test that could save their lives… and take on a whole new approach to fitness. Are you Fit to Live?



-M, p, z & shredder

Friday, November 30, 2007

Flo Rida...

We need to talk about T-Pain for a second. 




















Why is he everywhere? Look at this dude. Why does this man command 90 percent of airplay on the radio. Everything he does is exactly the same. For the life of me I can't figure out why I love him so much. For all intents and purposes he is a plight on music. A parasite who is living out his 15 minutes as hard as he can. He doesn't add anything to the world musically, yet I can't get away from it. I turn up the radio every time I hear his synthetic voice. 

His latest debacle (jam) is currently the highlight of my life. No lie. I pray for this song to come on while I'm driving. His collabo with some dude named "Flo-Rida" takes my breath away. The song is called, "Low." You've probably heard it if you ever listen to pop radio, it's been around for months now. This might be my jam of the year. It's so good, it's unbelievable. It sickens me as to how formulaic and preposterous the song it, yet I'm so overcome by the beat and the hook, that I could care less. I can't help but dance. No song has made me want to get drunk, and not just tipsy, but falling over, shots of Patron, make my way to the dance floor and do the robot with some Cougars drunk. It's absurd. 

T-Pain 4 lyfe

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - in case you haven't heard it...


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

In the News...









Just thought I'd mention some things in the news that I thought were pretty cool and or noteworthy. First was this story I read about the cloning of redwoods to reforest them in california and around the world. Apparently all 'cloning' means is that they clip these branches from the tallest redwoods, dip them in some supped up growth hormone and then replant them. All it takes is 20 of these to replant one acre, which doesn't sound like too many.

"The project was organized by the Champion Tree Project International, a nonprofit group from Michigan that has helped clone many of the largest and oldest living trees, including Methuselah, a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of eastern California. At more than 4,700 hundred years old, it is believed to be the oldest tree in the world." Though I knew the name Methuselah, I don't think I ever knew it was a tree or that there even was a tree that was that old. I just assumed they hit their life expectancy around a thousand years. Who knew? That is pretty killer though.












Also, news from Pakistan that Musharraf (the president) is dropping his military role and being sworn in as a civilian president. I am not an expert on the situation over there but I have been following it in the news for the last several months and it seems that while it sounds like a good step, it isn't going to change a whole lot. If you have been following the story of Benazir Bhutto, she seems to be the best bet over there to take over, and by best bet I mean in the interest of the world. She isn't the greatest person in the world, but she is the lesser of three evils. I was actually going to write about her at the time of her return to Pakistan after her exile because I feared she was going to be assassinated but it looks like her security is pretty tight. Not to say it won't happen by some crazy extremist, but you have to admire anyone who goes willingly into a shit storm of hatred and violence and actually wants to do something to change the social climate over there.















Lastly was probably the most awkward photo-op I have seen in a long time. I don't remember the last time I saw two people looking so awkward as I did when Al Gore went to the White House to meet with the president. He was invited because of his recent Nobel Peace Prize and was actually invited to a one on one conversation with W. What's crazy is that Bush didn't have to do that. Usually they just invite the winners to dinner or whatever. He took time out of his schedule and waited until Gore was free to schedule the meeting. I guess they talked about global warming but who knows.

Strange times. Also I finally picked a candidate for the primaries. More on that later. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Go big or go home. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. Life's short, live large.

-M, p, z & shredder.

oh ps - I saw Hitman the other day. I was pretty excited to go see it and oddly I have nothing to say about it. To steal someone's review from rottentomatoes, "At one point, the female lead says to our hero that she's "never felt so much indifference in her life." I knew exactly how she felt."

new music - once again, go get the new alicia keys. quit wasting time. also new jimmy eat world is great.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Boys and Girl Club...of Halo?



Recently I had a discussion with my friend's girlfriend (and by discussion I mean I was right and she was definitely wrong) about online gaming. It started because another friend of mine was telling us a story of how he met this chick on World of Warcraft and how after spending a long time getting to know her on WoW, it escalated to myspace friends, then to talking on the phone, then to quasi-dating. Strange yes, but she was actually pretty hot. She contends that online gaming is not actually interacting with people and it is a downfall of society. She thinks people staying in to meet up with their online friends and play WoW or any other game online is a joke and that essentially people need to have real live contact with others to qualify it as interacting.

As an avid player of Halo I disagree. I feel that spending time with people online is just as much of an interaction as going to the bar with your friends if not more so. When I play Halo, I often meet up with real live friends of mine who play and we are put on teams with other people from around the world. You can't tell me that every time you go to a party or the bar or any in-person social gathering that you interact with people from around the world. People that don't even speak the same language as you, but are on your team to achieve a goal.

I bring this up because over the weekend I realized that aside from being the source of hours of endless enjoyment, it's also a haven for some people. My brother and I had a Halo weekend. We probably spent 30 hours playing online from Thursday-Sunday. On Saturday afternoon we met a couple of kids who were hilarious so we teamed up with them and spent the next couple hours with them killing other people. Later that evening when we got back online around 10, they had also happened to just get back on so we teamed up with them again. We started talking about where we were from and just general small talk. These kids, who were 17 and 18 seemed like pretty cool kids. They don't swear or throw around racial slurs like way too many 13 year old punk kids do. They live in Arizona and they might be the funniest high schoolers I have met since I was 17. I told them about me and since my brother isn't very good yet, I told them that he was a girl. After they found out I was 25, they jokingly asked me to mail them some alcohol. I then realized it was Saturday night and asked them why they aren't out at a party having fun doing the whole social high school thing. They told us that they don't live in the best neighborhood and all the people who go to parties are thugs who bring guns and do drugs. They also said there are a lot of gangs so they just stay in and play Halo.

These kids use Halo to stay out of gangs. That's probably the coolest thing I have ever heard. More useful than a Boys and Girls Club of America, Halo is now saving lives. If that doesn't prove me right, then I don't know what would. Go big...



-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - new movies and dvds coming out. movie reviews soon, tomorrow the Futurama Movie comes out, go buy it. It will be hilarious. The Namesake also comes out on dvd so if you didn't get a chance to see it in theaters, hop on netflix or go rent it. If you loved the book as much as I did, go buy it. It's worth it for the last scene in the movie.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Monday, November 19, 2007

Danger...














So the new 'Most Dangerous City' list came out and some may be surprised to know that Detroit has climbed back to the top of the list. Followed by Flint at number 3. 2 of the top 3 most dangerous citites are in Michiga. That's not good. I really feel like some billionaire could come in, revitalize the city and make money off of it. It would be awesome. But that will never happen, mostly because Kwame is a pretty bad mayor and he is part of the crime problem.















In lighter more impressive news, I read that a couple scientists found a way to turn skin cells into stem cells which means that hopefully, if it does end up working, stem cell research would be able to get much more funding. I never had a problem with stem cell research but could understand those that do, much as I am pro-choice but I still don't know exactly when an embryo becomes a person, though I know it's definitely not at conception. Hopefully this will be something that is actually viable and will lead to cures and save the world.

Anyways, slow week thus far for me. I'm pretty pumped for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday of the year. Any day the Lions play and you are supposed to eat until you loosed your belt and pass out is pretty much the greatest day of the year. Add to that the fact that we have an annual nintendo extravaganza which will be enhanced this year for the first time by the Wii, and I can't think of a better way to spend a thursday afternoon.

Cheers. blah blah blah, go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - lots of movies coming out this week, This Christmas will be awesome, Hitman should be great but the fact that the director was replaced during post production scares me and Enchanted should be a pretty fantastic disney movie.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

"How Do We Beat the Bitch?"




Some crazy old republican slut at a rally for McCain asked him this at what looked like an open forum. What's crazy is that this is the type of chick I would think Clinton has locked up. Not all of them, but I feel like Hillary represents those women of power who have all overcome stereotypes and obstacles and remained strong and thrived in spite of all the nay sayers. You'd think some old hag who lived through suffrage and was around when dinosaurs ate her babies would want to elect one of her peers. It's funny because not only does this woman call Senator Clinton a bitch, but McCain doesn't say anything along the lines of, "don't call senators bitches." He does say that he repects her and whatever, but you know he was glad someone called her a bitch on tv.

New poll on the right just to see what people are thinking. No one responded to the last one but this one might be good just to get a sense of the demographic of my readers.

More soon. Check out Ibodera, hilarious post by Brown Guy. As always, yadda yadda yadda.

-M, p, z, & shredder

oh ps - I promise I'm working on new eps of the diaries. Post them soon.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Issues vs Electability

















I just read this article in the Times about people voting for candidates based on whether or not they could win the general election rather than the issues. Unfortunately, I've found myself doing the same thing. I have been on the fence between Obama and Clinton for quite some time now. Obama has all the rhetoric and idealism of Bobby Kennedy and that is really inspiring, however I'm not sure that he could win a general election over a Republican based on his name and color; sad but true. Clinton on the other hand is also a great candidate, probably the most qualified and clearly a very strong woman and while she does inspire she doesn't have that idealism that Obama has. That may be due to the fact that she knows better, but there is something so wonderfully Jimmy Stewart a la Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that I see in Obama that makes it hard not to want to vote for him. What could happen if he was president? What would he be able to change? How much could it forever alter politics? These are things that I don't wonder about Clinton. I know she will be a great president and the world would be a better place if she was, but I also know there are limits to the change that she would bring. She does not have drastic changes, just your run of the mill Democratic views. Universal health care, higher taxes on the uber rich, better education etc.

I guess my point is that I wish it were possible to not worry about someone losing to an ass clown like Mitt Romney, who for all intents and purposes represents the interests of 80 year old racist redneck millionaires in Texas, much like Bush only more conservative. I don't think I'd be able to live in the states under another abomination of a president. Bush, for all his flaws and how much I hate him, isn't a bad person. A terrible president making terrible mistakes, but I don't think he particularly enjoys knowing that it's his fault thousands of people are dying in what will be the next cold war. I'm not so sure about Romney though. He might just be evil. If politics were just about the issues and who represented the best interests of the country, then everything would be okay.

I would like to vote for Obama but I'll probably vote for Clinton and hope that Obama is either her pick for VP or he runs again in 4 or 8 years. I just don't want another republican ruining this country. Anyways, I hope everyone has registered. The primaries are coming up very soon. I know I mentioned before that I would talk about the issues more and I never did but now that it's crunch time I'm gonna start to so hopefully you can figure out who you want to vote for if you don't already know.

I guess I'm on a blogging tear the last couple days. Be sure and check out www.ibodera.blogspot.com as I'll be splitting time between these two blogs. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Go big or go home. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. Life's short, live large.

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - Please tell me someone took my advice and watched Carpoolers last night? It was hilarious, like the funniest episode of a sitcom not on HBO in forever.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

More Randomness...

New collabo: check it out. Team blog with some people you may or may not know but it will definitely be hilarious and you can always at least count on my additions to be worth a read.

www.ibodera.blogspot.com

-m

Monday, November 12, 2007

New Look

Wow. Okay it worked and was actually very easy and I didn't even have to transfer my links. Okay well, this is the new look. Any ideas on color changes or anything? This is strange, I had the old template for almost 2 years. Should I revert to the old one? This is cool because now I can do a lot of new things that I couldn't do before such as polls and what not. Okay I'll blog for real soon.

Hmmmm

Okay, I've been wanting to update my template on this blog for a while but I was afraid that it would delete all of my blogs. I am trying a new minimalist thing for my stay in Michigan (not going very well so far) so if it deletes it I will be sad, but I'll live. If it doesn't then worry not, it will all be here for you to view for eternity.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Cause I'm Back in the 810 now...

Like Eminem said in 8 Mile, I'm home. For now that is. Moving back to the 517 for a hot minute, then back to NYC in May or June I think. I miss the surf but I don't miss LA. It's currently 41, windy, rainy and pretty 'miserable' in general but to me this is what fall is. This is why they make 'fall' jackets. This is what they call football weather. Cali is an anomaly, it's always sunny (unless it's smoggy or smoke covered) and it's never humid. I have never really gotten that winter depression that so often comes with living in a cold dark cloudy place for 3 or 4 months but I was going stir crazy over there. No rain? No jacket? It's November! Anyways, you get the point. I'm drinking a hot chocolate right now and it's fantastic, if I was doing this in Cali, I'd be sweating my balls off.

I've got to go to NY this weekend and get a few of my things that are in storage and it will be interesting what I deem a necessity. Some people think coats and hats and clothes, but the main reason I am going is my cds, stereo and some dvds that I can't live without.

More soon

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - more diaries coming soon

Monday, October 29, 2007

Let it Burn...




















Taking Usher's advice and walking away... So I'm not usually one to talk about my emotions or feelings (I've actually been told that getting me to open up about my feelings is like talking to a wall) but for one night only, I'm gonna say what's really on my mind. An emotional fire sale if you will. I have decided to leave LA. I'm headed back to michigan to get some more schooling, probably for only one more semester but you never quite know with me I guess.

I have heard a lot of talk about how it's always hard to move to a new far away place but really, I just hate LA. California is wonderful, San Diego is gorgeous and the ocean is amazing, but Los Angeles might just be the worst city I have ever lived in, counting Springfield Ohio where I spent my first semester of undergrad. It is overwhelming and confusing. Did I give it a fair shake? Probably not, but honestly I would rather be happy than to try and force something that isn't working. I am sure that given enough time, I could stand living here but I would rather enjoy my neighborhood and feel a sense of community than live in this disparate sea of millions of people. Unlike New York, LA is scattered all over a large area with no rhyme or reason. And I'm sure that in time I could figure out the city and know where everything is, but I would still have to wait in traffic for an hour to go 10 miles. Two of the things I hate most in the world are lines and traffic. Driving here is a nightmare and I miss being able to walk everywhere.

I guess what it boils down to is that I'm not happy here. Who wants to be unhappy? I've got a plan for the next 6 months or so and during that time I'll figure out what I'll do next. Perhaps out here but more likely back to NY to try and make it out there. I'm not giving up on wanting to be a director but I did realize that career dreams are not more important to me than the people in my life. It sucks being 3000 miles away from the people I care about and it sucks even more being 3 hours behind them. I will spend the next semester writing and honing my skills as a director and hopefully working on some things to do with tv or film. I feel kind of like I failed which sucks becuase I'm trying to tell myself that I didn't, that I"m doing the right thing. Anyways, it was a pretty hard decision to make but once I made it it felt like the right thing to do. Everything happens for a reason and I think that I learned some things about myself that I may not have learned if I never moved out here. Live and learn I guess.

So I'll blog again soon hopefully. Did anyone watch my original Subaru Diaries? Should I do it again on the return trip? As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Go big or go home. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. Life's short, live large.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - I guess this wasn't really that emotional or expressive. that's just how I am though I guess. New album I picked up, Katie Herzig, she's fab. Check it out. also the title was in refernce to the Usher song, not the wild fires out here, which I want to talk about soon.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

What to Watch...















The last couple of weeks has been interesting. Eye opening maybe. I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life and questioning what I'm doing in my life. Could be headed for a big change soon but since I don't know yet, I'll leave it at that. Should decide within the next week or so whether or not I actually want to stay in LA though and if this city is really all it's cracked up to be. Now I would say no, it's not. I'd like to move but we'll see what happens. One never knows where life will lead...

On to less cryptic talk... There are a lot of new shows on the boob tube these days and while I don't have cable at the moment I will comment on what to watch. A top 5 I guess. First of all this is just for shows that I watch or deem worthy of being watched. This does not include shows that are currently not on such as Psych (my favorite show on tv), Monk, Entourage or Pistons basketball which as we all know is always the greatest thing to watch on tv or in person. First I'd like to talk about a couple of shows that didn't make the cut but are worth mentioning. I know there has been a lot of negative reviews about it but if you haven't seen "Cavemen" then you should check it out. I'm not a fan of sitcoms. There is an abundance of terrible shows without a comedian that just aren't funny. The fact that Two and a Half Men is still the top rated sitcom boggles my mind. It is the worst show ever. It has a laugh track for god's sake. Cavemen actually isn't half bad though. It spends a little too much time setting up jokes that don't always work, but usually the dialogue isn't half bad and actually pretty funny. Also Carpoolers isn't bad. ABC has both these shows on tuesday between 8 and 9. Carpoolers isn't as funny as Cavemen and will probably get cancelled but there are some great conversations that the 4 main characters have. It's more of a guy show than anything and worth a look if you're bored on tuesday at 8:30. Catch it before it's gone.

This is a pretty close contest actually. The top three shows are all really good and the last two are good but I don't hold my breath waiting for them. Funny that all of my top 5 are on two networks, 3 on NBC and 2 on ABC. It says something about the qaulity of shows people like (2 and a half men, other bad sitcoms and dramas) are on CBS which is the number 1 rated network. I don't understand people sometimes. This is why Bush is still in office.

At number 5 is Grey's Anatomy. How the mighty have fallen. It isn't exactly the show it used to be. It's starting to get what I call "ER Syndrome." What happens is that shows that have great chemistry with the characters make us care about what happens to them and as a result, writers make these crazy freak accidents like train wrecks or plane crashes or drownings to make a really dramatic "can't miss" episode. ER took this to the extreme and kept on having all these insane accidents which is why I stopped watching. Grey's is doing it not with accidents but with story lines for characters and it's getting old. Every week something insane happens that just doesn't work for the show and it is taking away all that I used to like about it.

At number 4 is Heroes. Still a really good show but needs to do a little more than last year to keep me waiting for the next episode like last year. It's hard to match because last year it was so original, but now that there are established characters it's slowing down a little bit. It is early still and is setting up the season so I am giving it a little slack and time. Still a really good show and definitely worth watching if you have the time Monday night.













At number 3 is Chuck. A new show on NBC that comes on right before Heroes. It's about a Geek Squad type guy who got zapped or something (I missed the Pilot) by some super computer and downloaded all this super computer info into his brain and now helps out a super hot chick spy and her partner. It is actually funny and well paced and the characters are enjoyable. I find myself growing attached to each of them and I like where it's going. Not saying it is some deep drama, but there is definitely more depth to it and the characters than the light fluffy show it would come off as. Check it out, it's worth it.













At number 2 is the not so surprise hit Pushing Daisies. It's on ABC on wed at 8 and it's fantastic. It's created by the same guy who brought you Heroes and Produced by the same imagination that brought us Men in Black and Lemony Snickets and a bunch of other fantastical stories based in reality. It's really well written and acted and fun to watch. It's pretty original and the characters are all fun to watch. If you haven't watched it do yourself a favor and check it out. You can watch all the eps online at abc.com and you won't regret it.
















At number 1 is NBC's Friday Night Lights. Picking up where it left off last season as number 1, it is definitely worth your time. It moved to friday night at 8 which will probably mean it's ratings will drop and it will be one of those amazing shows that gets cancelled for no reason other than people would rather watch Charlie Sheen and some pudgy kid make terrible jokes that a laugh track is even hesitant to laugh at. It's acting is still awesome and the story lines, except for one new ridiculous one (that is getting less ridiculous) are great. It may be spreaing itself too thin at the moment because all of the characters are going through their own drama, but it keeps me in on a Friday night which is pretty easy since I have no friends.

Anyways, that's all I feel like doing right now. I'd talk about some movies but to be honest I haven't been watching as many as I used to in NY. LA is a drag so far so if I talked you into moving out here, hang on to that thought because I might not be here for long. Headed down to surf again this weekend which should be awesome so I might not get to blog again til Sunday. If not, keep your ear to the grindstone and all that stuff. yadda yadda yadda.

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - lots of new albums out as well. I haven't been able to keep up but if you have heard anything good, let me know or burn me a copy.

pps - Forgot to mention but definitely my guilty pleasure this season: Gossip Girl. It's on the CW at 9 on wed. It's f-ing ridiculous. Most of it doesn't make sense and boggles my mind and of course all the highschool kids look to be around their early 20s but it seems the creators of the OC have done it again. Not as electric as the oc but def all the drama and then some.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Stair-Master...

First off I forgot to mention the new title for Harold and Kumar 2, "H&K Escape From Guantanamo Bay." It's going to be ridiculous. I can't wait til next year.


So I had my first job in the industry on Saturday and I must say it was awesome. I had so much fun. I was expecting to be bossed around to no end by people who had short tempers and loved to yell, but instead it was a very calm fun set to be on. It was for a show on cable (not mentioning the network name b/c I'm not sure if I'm allowed to) and it was pretty awesome. I signed a lot of papers, one of those may have been a non-disclosure agreement which would mean I can't say anything about the show specifically so I will refrain from talking about it extensively. But I will say that I am in it a couple times. It's a reality type show and I'm in it as myself for two quick scenes. So if you saw me on the Tyra show last week look for me on this show which I will name in the near future after I find out if I am allowed to or not. There was a 'challenge' on the show however, which I was a stand in for during run throughs and I must say it was pretty hard. We were on the 18th floor of a building and we had to run down the stairs to the 10th, then back up to the 18th, then carry 2 (heavy) dummies down the hallway to another flight of stairs where we had 5 minutes to get to the roof which was essentially the 31st floor. I made it in 4:50 and I was struggling. Anyways, all in all it was really really fun and I met a lot of nice people and one of those people I met got me a job intervie with her boss tomorrow. I'm sooo glad I quit that telemarketing job...


















Also I'm not sure how many have you heard but over the weekend (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_en_ce/books_harry_potter) JK Rowling told the press that Prof. Dumbledore was gay. And that he was in fact in love with Gellert Grindelwald, whom we all know he successfully dueled later in life. It's pretty awesome if you ask me. Extreme Christians have had a long battle with Harry Potter and I remember when I first started reading the books back in highschool that they believed Rowling was just trying to recruit people into Wicca. Now they believe she is a rebel rouser and claiming that she is trying to make people be Anti-Christian. JK Rowling is awesome, and the fact that she makes these people so mad makes me lover her even more. Hopefully there will be an 8th book about Dumbledore's days with Grindelwald.

That's all for now. I actually started this blog out as a review of new tv shows but that'll have to wait for next time. I'm not one to call out other bloggers but hopefully someone, Brown Guy I'm looking at you, updates his blog soon because there's nothing worse than starting a blog, getting people into it and then quitting (yeah right Muki).

I'm out

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - I'm sad MSU lost saturday but glad I didn't watch, I had a much better time working. Good things came from that game though: we played the number 1 team in the country and only lost by one TD, they usually only allow less than 7pts and we scored 17 and it was at OSU. We have a big game this week and then next saturday when Mich comes to town hopefully we can handle our business. Go state.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Boiler Room...











So this was an interesting last few days I guess. I wasn't getting any jobs in production or even in a production office for the last couple weeks so I decided it was time to get a job and make some money. I took a job as a telemarketer (one that only calls businesses and not people's homes so it was only slightly excuciating). That lasted all of one day. I went in on Tuesday and met with the site manager and he told me to come back for training the next day. The pay was $10 and hour plus commisions and he said most people averaged about $600 a week which isn't too bad seeing how I was making $0. So I went in on Wed and somewhere around noon I realized that I was taking a step back in life. This lady who was training us kept talking about making our dreams come true and doing all you can to realize those dreams, and I realized that my dream wasn't to call businesses 8 hours a day. No, I moved to Hollywood with no money, no friends and no job for a dream. A dream to be a Director. I could care less if I'm famous or not or if I make a lot of money, but I do want to be happy with what I'm doing in life.

During our lunch break I made the decision that not only was I not coming back to work the next day but also that my stomach was really going to hate me for filling it with a Grilled Stuft Chicken Burrito (Taco Bell was the only place around and only the second time I have been there all year). So I finished out the day content in the fact that I would not return but not content in the fact that I had to make calls for a couple hours. I felt really bad quitting so I didn't tell anyone until the next morning when I called and explained myself to one of the nicest bosses in the world who told me to "not foget my days in the boiler room and to remember him when I get famous." It actually was a boiler room. It was a brand new location for this company and the tile floors were cracked and coming apart and the office is shared with two other companies on the floor.

The point of this story is that in my previous 25 years of life I have always just gone with the flow. Taken what's been given. Sure I had to work for things and apply for things and be proactive in my life, but now it seems that isn't enough. But never has it been the case when me just wanting something doesn't make it happen. I don't like asking for help, and have really never been one to make my problems others, but I have realized over the last couple of days that I will go nowehre unless I get help. A girl I went to highschool with lives out here so I reached out to her despite the fact that we were'nt really friends before (and by that I mean pretty much mortal enemies) and fortunately for me she is now the nicest girl in the entire world and has gone out of her way to help me. Anyways, I have my first job tomorrow, it's only one day but it's a start and hopefully I meet some people who can help me out some more and give me a shot at doing something I love. I had to give up an awesome day of surfing in San Diego and watching my Spartans kick some Buckeye ass, but it's a small price to see my name on a call sheet for a real production. The best part is that I get paid. I would do this for free. It's kind of cool getting paid for something you love to do. "Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it."

Anyways, more after my day of work. Blah blah blah...

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - lots of movies and shows to review. to come very soon. sunday maybe. GO STATE!!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Macbook 1.5 - aka The Shredder...
















Same computer, new engine...

My computer died over the weekend. Without any indication whatsoever, it just died. I was listening to that Fergie song, "Big girls don't cry," and apparently my computer knew better and punished me for it. For real. It just froze and then I turned it off and it never turned back on. The 'Genius' at the Apple store told me that sometimes hard-drives just die. Then he chastized me for not backing up my hard drive which I should have done, but since I did not, I lost about 2600 pictures that I never moved to my external drive. Booo-urns to that. I do have my old hard drive still and can probably recover the data, but it will cost at least $300 which means that it is going to sit in a ziplock bag until I win the lottery.

They say you don't know what you've got til it's gone, but this really sucked. It is one thing if my phone breaks or my ipod or whatever, but my computer is like my best friend, at least in LA it is so far. I use my computer more than most people, I'm on it for regular use: email, blogs, pistons news etc, but I also use it a ton for film editing and photo stuff. I generally use my computer as much as most people watch tv, and then I still use it while I watch tv so total, at least 6 hours a day. Anyways, when it died I realized how important to my life it is right now. I have no job, no apartment and no friends and this was my tool to finding all three of those. Not only that it was my tool for keeping in touch with the friends I do have that are 2500 miles away. There are only a few people I can talk to on the phone for extended periods of time so email and little messages here and there along with blogs is my preferred method of staying in touch. My point is, I had taken it for granted before but now I am going to give my computer all the adulation it deserves, starting with a name. I decided that all my pet's names will be video game characters (peach, zelda) so since I already named my car Leonardo, I am going to have a vehicle/technologies TMNT theme going. So my new improved Macbook with almost twice the hard-drive space is, "The Shredder" or just "Shredder." It's looks too bad ass to be nice, hence the evil side.













Now that I have completely soldified myself as an idiot, on to other things... I went to see this apartment last week and this guy gets out of his car and after I say, 'Hello,' the first thing he says to me is, "Are you a curry cooker?" After a brief thought that it was the most roundabout way of being racist that I've ever heard, I thought I would take his words literally. So I tell him that, "yes, in fact I do cook curry." He then shakes his head and replies, "we had an Indian couple live here before and she cooked curry all day and the hallways smelled [probably delicious I thought] and that when they moved out we had to change the carpet twice to get rid of the smell." I proceeded to tell him that I am not an Indian wife and I do not have time (even though I do right now) to cook curry all day. He didn't believe me and pretty much told me that aside from that it would be too much of a pain in the ass for him to have my parents co-sign a lease with them being in Michigan, and that in the week it took to get all the paperwork together the apartment would probably be gone. It is still available.

So I have unsuccessfully applied for a few jobs that I really want and also for a few jobs that I don't really want. Hopefully I hear back from somebody soon because I need to start having interactions with real people, as you probably guessed from my torrid love affair with Shredder. In most places they would call me a loser but since I am in cali and now a surfer you can refer to me as a surf-bum.

As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it. Life's short, live large.

-M, p,z & shredder

oh ps - I have refrained from talking about the Darjeeling Limited for about a week now because I am trying to figure out my feelings. Worst Wes Anderson movie ever? Yes. Bad movie? I'm thinking. My standards might be too high for him. I know what you're thinking, "his standards are high? He saw dragon wars! He has no standards!" Well indeed I have no standards for most movies but for my film sensei, I expect nothing but perfection.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Episode III...

So here is the final installment of my road trip. I got kind of lazy and didn't put any music to it and also I realized in the last part that my music in the car was too loud to hear much of anything else anyways. I got my first haircut in years today. I usually just buzz it but I'm starting to grow it out so I thought I could use a trim on the sides and what not. Anyways I walked into this place called, "In the Cut," and I should have realized after I saw the sign written in old school bboy font that it was a black barber shop. I wasn't sure what kind of a job they would do seeing as I'm not black but it turned out to be pretty sweet. My boy Deon gave me a low fade and it looks pretty stellar. Thats all for now, I'll blog for real soon.



-M, p &z

oh ps - it really is kind of like Barber Shop the movie, people are just hangin out watching football and talking. I'm definitely going back next time I need to look right.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Episode II...

Here is most of episode II, the day was very very long and thus, so was the video. Episode II finale and III to come tomorrow.



-M. p & z

oh ps - thanks nate, though it was fun guessing what the japanese characters mean i'm back to english...

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Quick note...

watch the tyra banks show tomorrow (thursday) as i was there for the taping back in august and should be in most of the audience shots since the camera was in my grill the whole time.

also, my blogger page is now in japanese tex for some reason, anyone know why or how to fix it?

-M

Monday, October 08, 2007

Road Trippin'...

So I completed the road trip with both me and my car in one piece. Good times (kind of). I made a video diary, though I'm not sure how compelling it is, it's funny at times. Here is the first installment (day 1) of the trip.



enjoy.
-M, p & z

oh ps - once again I have moved to a state that does not allow ferrets. What the hell, why can't I just have my pets. Leave me alone silly arbitrary rules that are asinine and archaic ( i just wanted to see how many different a words I could use right there)

Monday, October 01, 2007

100...

So this is my 100th blog (at least since I switched to blogger) and I must say it feels like I have blogged a lot more than that over the past 21 months... Just a few things on my mind lately, hence no blog for the last couple weeks. First of all it's finally October which means the Pistons have media day today and then start training camp tomorrow. I am ridiculously pumped for this season and looking forward to seeing what the new kids can do.

Also, yesterday Nickelodeon had a 3 hour period where it was dark and over it was an announcement telling kids to go outside and play. Then they had a show afterwards about being healthy and getting excercise. Kudos to Nick for getting those fat lazy kids (like me) off their ass and outside.

Then there's this...










New Wes Anderson movie Darjeeling Limited debuted at the NY Film Festival on friday. Released in a few theatres. Pretty pumped for this movie. Too bad it won't be realeased in many theatres so most of you either own't be able to see it or will have to wait until it gets a wide release. You can go onto I-tunes and download a short called Hotel Chevalier (thanks bill) which is supposed to be a little prequel to the character of Jason Shwartzman though if you ask me it is easily Anderson's worst short that I've seen. Natalie Portman does get naked though but it's done in a way that makes me uncomfortable. It's not very funny but other than that, it's free so download it and check it out. It has some redeeming qualities but mostly it was lame and kind of broke my heart.


Also there's this...











Pretty much the opposite of lame, this game kicks ass. It's been a while since I played a game that was actually challenging enough to a point where I would yell when I died. I have yet to play it on super hard but playing it on hard was really fun, kind of like the Castelvania that came out for PS2 4 years ago, I forgot the name though, or Devil May Cry 3 which was practically impossible. Halo ended up having a pretty solid story and I was pleasantly surprised at the ending. Online play is same as usual, it is f-ing awesome.


I'll be road trippin it soon and instead of lame blogs where I write things, I decided I would do little videos of my road trip. In case you didn't know, i'll be driving to California this week. I leave thursday morning. I'll try and update before I go with my intended route but if it goes as planned I should be there saturday afternoonish.

Anyways, yadda yadda go big.

-M, p & z

oh ps - don't go see Dragon Wars. Quite possibly the worst movie ever. I was hoping for another dragon epic like Reign of Fire, something that really sucks but is fun to watch but this movie just sucked all around. How cool is the title? Much cooler than the movie apparently. It was even't dragons, it was about one ginormus snake that in the end fought the good snake after it turned into a dragon. They should have called the movie, "Wait til the last 10 minutes when the Dragon fights the Snake"

also, just for Brown Guy and just in case anyone thought she wasn't slammin'...

Monday, September 17, 2007

The Emmy Snooze-fest...

After the red carpet was over, the Emmy's turned into a really boring show. So much so that I fell asleep at 9 and was only awoken at the sound of Hayden Panitierre's name. Shwing! Anyways, did anyone catch the last couple hours? I personally don't hate Ryan Seacrest, I think he's a great personality for shows like american idol and he's good on the radio and at the red carpet. He was not, however, a good host. The best part of the show was when Ellen did her thing for a couple minutes. She's amazing. Anyways, here's a top 5 list of hot chicks from last night (or a best dressed list, 'hot chicks list' helps salvage a little testosterone). Sadly there wasn't a whole lot that was insanely horrid aside from Ellen Pompeo's hair and a couple of dresses made out of feathers. Everyone looked pretty good. Without further ado...

At Number 5, mostly because I lover her, Kristen Bell.

















At number 4 is Katherine Heigl. She was pretty hilarious, esp when she corrected the announcer that her name was mis-pronounced.

















At number 3 is Ali Larter. It was her first time at the Emmys and she looked really good. She was very excited about being there and I liked that.

















At number 2 is Kate Walsh. How does she not have a Mc-nickname on grey's? She is the best looking one on the show. Too bad she is now doomed on her spinoff. I hope it does well because I love her, but I'm not gonna watch.

















At number 1 (is this the 2nd year in a row she won) is Julia Louise Dreyfuss. Wow.

















Anyways, there were some other good looking people like Jennifer Love and Portia de Rossi, good job on being attractive to them. Get your feet...blah blah blah

i'm out
-M, p & z

oh ps - despite being 3-0 MSU is still unranked and I can understand that, however after we win this weekend - despite the fact that it's against Notre Dame, we better be at least top 25. I don't care what you say, going 4-0 aint easy for a new coach with a new QB. Don't joke either, you know ND wants to end their losing streak and they don't want to lose to 2 michigan teams in a row either.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

25 and counting....

You know what this is....

















It's a celebration, bitches...

It doesn't really feel like my birthday and I don't really feel 25 so I thought I would mention a few things on my mind, 25 years to the day I was born. First of all, it's strange being a quarter of a century old. In middle school Coolio made it seem like 24 was super old, but I'm pretty sure he was on crack because I don't feel all that old. I have noticed that I don't bounce back as quick as I did after a fall then when I was 10. I am not as good at math as I was when I was 18 or 8 for that matter. I've actually got quite a few gray hairs (not a ton but at least 15), I kind of like it. I feel like Sheed. I don't wear t-shirts that go down to my knees (whose idea was it to rock extra large t-shirts when you're a size small). As Kanye says, "Damn here we go again...Everything I'm not made me everything I am."











So just a few things to think about. Recently, while at the Olive Garden with my mom I realized that it wasn't really a taste of Italy I was getting but a taste of Scorcese. I feel like I'm sitting in a resturaunt with Ray Liotta, Deniro and Pesce about to come over and tell me to move. I mean seriously. Who feels like they're in Italy when eating endless soup and salad. They play Sinatra as loud as they can, the manager walks around in his suits making sure everything is okay, like he's going to off the waiter if it's not. It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Shouldn't there be like some guy in a gondola or some funny looking guys arguing in italian about smoething ridiculous like a parking space. That's what Italy is really like.















As many of you may have heard, Kanye and 50 Cent both have albums out as of Tuesday. 50 recently said that if Kanye's album outsold his, then he would retire. I bought Kanye's cd as soon as I could. He has also said that he doesn't think an album can be good if it doesn't sell millions of albums. Now I have hated 50 for quite some time but now he is getting out of control in an Anna Nicole kind of way. He said that Ghostface Killah (probably the only one truly killin it at the moment) is awful because his albums don't sell and that his record label should drop him. Also with a new album out on tuesday was Kenny Chesney. Last week on 106 and Park, Kanye and 50 were on together talking about their albums and who would win and whatever, and one of the hosts mentioned that Chesney has a new album out the same day and how would that affect their sales. They then showed a picture of Kenny, to which Kanye payed his dues and said that KC was killin it in country and doin his thing and props to him. 50 on the other hand said, "I've never seen that bitch before." He then went on to say that he doesn't care about him and that there's no way KC's album will sell more than his. WTF 50? Why are you talkin shit to a picture of a country singer. Have you really slid so far downhill that poking fun at dwarfs like Ja Rule has gotten old and now you call someone you have never seen before, who by the way sells more albums than you so according to you is a better artist, a bitch? I bought both Kenny's and Kanye's albums and I last I heard it was Kanye in 1st and Kenny in 2nd with 50 in a distant 3rd. My only hope is that 50 does retire and never makes a sound for the rest of his life.

Anyways, I'm out. Get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

Happy birthday
-M, p & z

oh ps - I also recently bought a few other albums, new Tegan and Sara, 2 albums by the Detroit Cobras (introduced to me by Tristan's gf while in San Diego), Sonya Ktchell and the best album of all of these, the new Rilo Kiley. Go pick up some music, it's good for you.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Hangin' Ten...













So, after a highly chaotic overwhelming friday in Hollywood, I cooled off in San Diego for the weekend with a couple of my boys from highschool. The saturday surfing lesson was amazing. I have never had so much love for a sport that is terrifies me like I do for surfing. It was actually very very not scary. The ocean is a very powerful thing but luckily I overcame (not really) my fear of sharks, whales, killer whales, sting rays, and jellyfish (is there anything in the ocean that can't kill you or maim you in some way?) and did work on my longboard. We kicked ass and I'm glad I bought a waterproof disposable camera to capture the moment so you can all see how cool I look.








It helped me decide where in LA I want to live and reminded me of everything I didn't like about NYC. A surfboard is the first thing I am going ot buy out here and if anyone wants to come out and learn I would be more than happy to show you how to get started.

I'll keep ya'll posted about my apartment and start blogging about other thigs besides me soon.

-M, p & z

oh ps - What's the deal with fog machines? There was some god awful lame club in San Diego with copius amounts of fog coming out of the door basking all the people in line with the terribleness that consumed the inside. There is no doubt in my mind that there were people inside that club being insanely terrible with some glow sticks or something equally lame. I wonder if there is any sign clearer of a douchebag infested jersey city club than fake fog. Plus I'm pretty sure that much exposure to chemical fog for hours on end has to cause some kind of hybrid cancer...

Friday, September 07, 2007

Thoughts From L.A....

So I've been in LA for a day now, and I must say that this experience is so much different from the one I had a year and a half ago when I visited NYC. First of all, this is the biggest city I have ever been to in my entire life. Never was I overwhelmed by new york, mostly because of the efficency to which you can travel around the city but also because, despite the population, it isn't that much bigger than most cities. LA is to cities as Texas is to Rhode Island. It's massive. There is so much to take in and decide when moving here that I don't know where to begin. So, as it were, I'm sitting here 55 miles south of LA at the pool at my friends apartment complex with a bud contemplating my experience today. I was a little culture shocked coming here from new york but I am slowly decompressing. I also may have been a little wound up because of the time difference. Anyways, I just have a few things I wanted to mention before I head off to San Diego to have a weekend full of beer and surfing lessons.

First, if you haven't checked out the new link I added to the right, go to http://shadezofbrown.blogspot.com. It's worth a visit and you will definitely laugh. Brown Guy has always been a wonderful hater.

Second, I wanted to do a little hating of my own. This is directed at people who don't kow how to conduct themselves on an airplane. First there's the guy who clearly hates women and taking orders from a stewardess is the last thing he wants to do. You have all seen him before, he is the one who gets very testy and accuses the nice lady trying to help people out of, "screaming at me," or so he claims. She was honestly talking softer than most people whisper in class and this dude seemed to think she was mad at him. So then he tells the entire area that can hear him how upset he is with the airline and that he had to wait for over and hour at the gate before he could board. I was having a fine morning until this guy showed up and I felt a very sever urge to punch him in the face. Next up on the flight are angry parents and people who refuse to turn off their cell phones. Listen lady, the only thing worse than hearing your kid scream is hearing you scream at him on top of it. Just shut up the both of you. And if this plane 'mysteriously' has a failure with any of it's electronic devices, guy with the cell phone on vibrate, I am coming directly at you and killing you before we hit the ground.

Anyways, that's all for the moment. I'll have some pics and vids to post on here soon. I'll let you all know how surfing goes, but if you don't hear from me for a while, assume the worst. I'm afraid of sharks and whales, I'm not the best swimmer and I'm also pretty sure I'm afraid of the ocean. I'm excited to

Friday, August 31, 2007

Should I Have Tipped?











So this guy came to replace my windshield on my car. I'm not sure how far away he came from but the area code for the glass place was 734 I think, which puts him at least 60 miles away. It could be that he works over here in the 810 but who knows. My insurance pays for it and calls them to come out and take care of it so I figured I didn't need to, so I didn't. But then my mom asked me if I tipped him and it got me thinking that I should have. I usually only tip in restaurants or for valets but beyond that I'm clueless when to tip. Do you tip delivery men besides pizza guys? What about furniture guys? I always offer a glass of water but some people tip them. Is it a faut pas if you don't tip them. The guy who replaced my windshield was a nice guy, I have tipped waitresses for less and this guy is coming to me and I'm not even paying him. I think I should have tipped him. Hopefully he doesn't hate me.


A lot of people are talking about the new Bourne movie like it's the greatest movie ever. People can't stop raving about it. Well I don't see what all the hoopla is about. The movie sucked. It was probably one of the biggest dissapointments of the summer. I don't understand what people see in it. The plot is the exact same as the first two, the way it unfolds is the exact same and it obviously has the exact same characters. The only thing different is the action; it was much much worse. One of the reasons Americans suck so bad is because as a public people think Two and a Half Men is funny (it's been the highest rated comedy for like 4 years now or something) and that movies like The Bourne Ultimatum are good 'action' movies. There was no action in it at all. I just took a poll on aol where 70 percent of people thought it was the best action movie of the summer. Of those 70 percent of people, I can only assume that they are not action fans and they have never seen a martial arts movie in their lives. There was no action at all in the movie, or at least none they showed. The Bourne movies have this way of taking all the action and putting it so close to the camera and then shaking the camera around like the camera operator is having a seizure, and then calling that action. I can't recall them showing a single punch in that movie. Don't get me wrong the first one was awesome. But the second lacked and this third one is the worst. It's a bad movie. If you haven't seen it, save your money and go see Superbad again.














Another dissapointing movie was War. I have been looking forward to this all year. Jet Li and Jason Statham finally team up, are you kidding me? Two bad asses who make real action movies (not that Statham is particlarly talented but his movies are fun to watch as far as action flicks go) team up in one movie. The movie sucked, it was completely plot driven with only about 15 minutes of action in the whole thing. No one got espescially raw in it after the first 15 minutes. The only cool thing was the plot twist that I never saw coming near the end. Don't see it.

To my blogging faithful I am going to have a special segment next week in which I really need your help in choosing my next apartment. I will be posting pictures with pros and cons of each place and will be making a decision within the next couple weeks. This is espescially important because not only am I moving to a new apartment, I'm moving to a new state. That's right, I'm westward bound. I'll be moving to LA at the end of next month and I need anyone's help who's lived there or been there recently. I haven't been there since I was 16 and I don't remember it all too well. I'll keep everyone posted.

As always get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

Life's short, live large. Chigga chigga yeah

-M, p & z

oh ps - i'll do a summer movie recap soon. Also I'll be driving to LA from michigan at the end of sept so if anyone wants to tag along let me know. I won't be coming back but one way tickets are only like 100 bucks so if you feel like road trippin let me know.