:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

Merry Christmas!

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:39 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Lord of the Rings Rules ::

I saw Lord of the Rings (again) yesterday and I came away even more impressed with it the second time around. The fact that I was more alert and not suffering from jet lag probably helped somewhat but I can't help but like how a three hour and twnety minute movie can keep my attention rapt through it's entirety. It certainly didn't feel like three-plus hours.

It was a far more satisfying closure to a trilogy than most of the great trilogies of the past, even including "Star Wars," "The Godfather" series, and even "The Matrix." Like it's predecesors, the epic storytelling and in some cases the grand visual effects are there but one of the key differences with LOTR is the continued development of the characters throughout the three films. Most sequels eliminate character exposition and focus more on situational development but here we see the lead players grow and evolve as the story continues.

Or rather, let me put it this way: We likes it. We needs it. The movieses, it calls to us and seduces us. We likes the plotses, the effectses and all the candy for our eyeses! We try to to resist but it tricksy. We wants it, we must watches it. My PRECIOUS! RRAAAHHHHHHH!

If I continue to type I'll probaly give away too much (as well as give my readers even more reason to question my sanity) so I'll stop here. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you do.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:43 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Good to be home Again. I think. ::

It's odd to be back in L.A. Just weird. It was once unimaginable to me but I honestly feel like I'm on vacation and already looking forward to going back home. I didn't think this could happen after only three months in Miami Beach but I guess you never can tell. But it's not to say that I'm not glad to be back. I've already met up with some old friends and will see a few more in the coming weeks, and I'm certainly looking forward to going back to Newsong and catching up with everyone there. I wondered if it was just because it was just due to my lack of traveling but when asked how long I'm in town I catch myself saying "I go back home on the 2nd."

But it's something that's mostly in my head since I've otherwise enjoyed my stay. It started off the moment I stepped off the plane and got picked up by my best friend, who them drove us over a movie theater to catch the opening night screening of "Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kind." Yes, I'm a geek. I had watched the first two a few days before with some other friends back home (see? There I go again) just to get back in the mood to watch the final episode of LOTR. Even with my lofty expectations I was thoroughly impressed and entertained with the movie. I'll probably see it one more time before I leave.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:39 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Random Thoughts ::

Just a collection of random thoughts that have been circulating my mind today:

Today I said the last of my goodbyes to a couple of friends who are still in town but I don't feel like I'm going to miss any of them since I'll see them again in a little over two weeks.

I still can't believe the year is almost over.

The White House must be ecstatic at Hussein's capture since it will, to many people's eyes, give sense of accomplishment and success to this misbegotten war. Whereas Howard Dean must be thinking "s#!t, s#!t, s#!t!"

As long as we're on this topic, just how did President Bush convince everyone that capturing Osama Bin Laden - the Guy behind the 9/11 attacks - by invading Iraq was a good idea?

Last thought on this topic: Freeing the people of Iraq from a psychotic tyrant is a great thing BUT in the end, is it justified when the heart, reasoning, and mindset behind this war was at best, specious?

This connection at Starbucks is slow... like, 28.8 dialup slow.

My Faith during my stay in Florida has wavered between neglectful and need-based and yet... I still haven't been hit by lightening. Cool.

I still can't believe the 49ers lost to the Bengals.

On my first full day back in California, I am going to drive. A lot.

And I'm probably going to stop at a few In 'n Outs.

It's going to be nice to see the sun *setting* over the ocean again. Assuming the marine layer clears up while I'm there.

Seriously, I'm gonna do a lot of driving.

One possible reason for wanting to stay here longer is that my brand of humor is better received here than back in L.A. It seems irony and deadpan deliveries is an East Coast thing. My arcane references still remain an acquired taste, however.

For example, a group of friends and I were discussing what exactly investigators found while scouring Micheal Jackson's ranch. I said "any truth to the rumor that they found J.D. Salinger there?" Now, I thought it was incredibly clever on my part but, I kid you not, one could have heard radio signals from space the room got so quiet.

Did I mention that I really miss having a car?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:39 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Headin' Home ::

I leave for Los Angeles on Wenesday and I can't help but feel very bittersweet about it. While I was, in retrospect, rather desperate for a change of scenery when I left, I certainly didn't expect to become so completely enamored with Miami Beach. And it goes far beyond the fact that part of me is little more than slacker beach bum, or that I've realized a lifelong dream of living in a city with the word "Beach" in its name (though I used to think it'd involve something like "Manhattan," "Hermosa," or "Seal"). It's mostly due to numerous intangibles that would be difficult to explain, never mind that most wouldn't understand anyway.

And before you ask, no: None of this has anything to do with a woman or anything. (Yet.) I just really like it here.

There's a certain energy, a dynamism, a verve, to this city I've never felt anywhere else. And it's exactly what I needed at the time and I'll continue to scarf up that energy as long I need to. Don't get me wrong, there's a part of me that will never leave L.A. but as for now I'm going to enjoy my new Home.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:52 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Quarters is Fun ::

While the school has taught me quite a bit in regards to commercial arts, it certainly hasn't made much of an impact in terms of augmenting my common sense. Or occasional lack therof (then again, artists were never very pragmatic).

Take Friday night for example. A couple of friends threw a party at their apartment to celebrate the end of the quarter. I woke up rather early that morning to get to work and I had to wake up even earlier the next day (7:00am... on a SATURDAY) so I figured at most that I'd make a token appearance, say "hi" to a few people, and maybe have a beer or three, and get out of there by 11:00.

So nightfall rolls around, I didn't get off work until almost 7:00, two hours past my planned clock-out. I decide to meet some friends for a late dinner. We didn't even finish eating until about 10:45 so at that point, my plans were revised to leave no later than midnight, which would still leave me with a comfortable six hour window for sleep.

So we get to this party and it hasn't even started yet. This being South Beach people don't start milling in until midnight, and that's when things start really getting intersting. It was at this point I realized how tenuous my otherwise well-laid out plans were. Maybe "1:30, 2:00-ish is feasable" I think to myself. Besides, that keg looked quite inviting.

Eventually, 2:30 rolls around and I've been deeply consumed in a game of "Quarters" for the past two hours. I've been on roll and out of the original six participants, one girl was extremely determined to end my hot streak of getting everyone else hammered while consuming very little beer myself up to this point. Actually, everyone else seemed to have it in for me but she was particularly vindictive. I should mention up to this point that this was only my second time playing Quarters in my entire life up to this point (the first time being, not coincidentally, at party thrown by the same people earlier in the year). The fact that I was completely and while she wasn't probably helped me a little. It was rather hilarious (for me) since I was been responsible for this girl's plastered state of being, despite her being a "veteran" at this game. Not that I'm proud of causing another's drunkenness by any means but considering that a lot of people came to this party intending to annihilate their sobriety, I didn't lose any sleep over it.

So back to the original point of this blog; I had to work the next day at 8:00, which meant I had to wake up around 7:00. Going to sleep at 4:00am the night before isn't the best way to successfully accomplish that. Now I did somehow drag myself to work and even clock in two minutes early but I was lethargic all day. It amazes me how this is a weekly occurrence for some people. And unlike me, they have hangovers to deal with. Ugh.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:46 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I'm finally done with finals!!! I have to admit, it went much better than I expected, though not to say it was a cakewalk or anything but I'll take it. Thinking back on my first quarter of art school, it was easier than what I was led to believe. I have been given the reassurance that all following quarters will get progressively harder so I should enjoy this while I can.

One thing I couldn't anticipate was the relationships developed with certain professors. I have respect and admiration towards one, a feeling a of benevolent indifference (if that makes any sense) for another, and deep-rooted animosity towards a third (I'll probably expand on that later). I've also become friendly with some of the school's staff members, as well as the president (Ron Seichrist) of the school since I was one of the regular participants of Ron's Sunday Soccer before I started working. Not that I'm anything special since he's near-universally liked and respected. It's not so much that he's a pioneer in the industry, or a visionary who created a school whose curriculum is focused solely on the commercial arts, or even that depsite all his accomplishments he still manages to be a friendly, accessible mentor-figure, or that he's married to a pretty hot, yet intelligent wife who just happens to be co-president of the school (the last one is an opinion shared mainly among us guys). No, he garners much of that repect from the fact that he's in his 70s and still comes out every Sunday to run around with, and often outplay, the rest of us, most of who are a mere third of his age.

It's still surprising that I don't miss Los Angeles. I miss a few friends and certain aspect of LA that I long for (I could do an entire, fairly lengthy blog about not having a car anymore =/ Hell, I just might.) So as my return date nears, I'm left with bittersweet feelings; glad to be going back to the only place I've ever called home, yet I can't help but feel that the 17th is approaching all too quickly. I plan on thoroughly soaking it in, since I'll probably spend all of 2004 in South Beach.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:29 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Ugh, Finals ::

I'm smack dab in the middle of finals week right now and the only reason I'm blogging is because I really need to take a mental break right now.

One of the assignemts I did earlier in the semester for my Typography class was to lay out our names with an adjective relevant to ourselves, using the appropriate fonts, colors, and whatever else to convey the words used (yes, I'm paying $3500 a quarter for this). The word that I used was "arcane." Now, it's common knowledge that a lot of my jokes tend to fly over people's heads so I thought it was without irony that a few people, including the teacher, asked me afterwards what "arcane" meant.

It's nice when something you create garners exactly the type of response you intended.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:30 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Happy Thanksgiving ::

It's been such a hectic year that I've had only minimal time to appreciate of what I've been blessed with this past year. Despite all the great things that's happened to me in the last quarter of this year, the earlier part of this year has been extremely trying for me, and some of the fallout from those problems are things I'll still dealing with now and will be dealing with well into next year (the specifics of which I won't get into).

And yet, I'm grateful for those trials in a way since it really forces me to be thankful for the things I do have and occasionally take for granted. I have my health. I have a roof over my head. I'm not going hungry. I've made friends here and I have good friends to see back at home. I have friends in other places that I still keep in touch with. And as far as I know all my friends are doing well. I still have my faith (what's left of it anyway). I know that God is with me and he'll stay with me no matter what happens out here.

I don't know. Some things could potentially get worse (I'm not really talking about schoolwork by the way) but oddly, I'm not freaking out about these things as much as I might have a few years ago mostly because... there's a part of me, albeit small, that knows that things will eventually work out in the future. This move, has been and continues to be an incredible lesson in relying on God's grace.

And that is something to be thankful for isn't it? Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:54 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Back to Work ::

I've finally rejoined the ranks of the employed. The new job is at a placed on Ocean Drive called the Colony Hotel and my position is that of server in the restaurant they have on the first floor. A buddy of mine from school who works there was kind enough to let me know that a few more openings were available so I jumped on it as soon as I could.

The Colony is apparently some kinda of Miami Beach Landmark since I saw the marquis on a few postcards as well as being famous for having had a few scene of "Scarface" filmed there. I guess it didn't really matter too much to me since I was happy to just to be working again.

I've just completed my second weekend there and it's been alright. So far I only work on weekend mornings, which is great since it allows for a lot of flexability with my school schedule. It helps that most of the people I work with are pretty good people and the customors who eat here are usually friendly tourists who are typically from area with much colder climates (Canada, Sweden, Germany, and Boston for example) and are only too happy to be in the warm sun of Southern Florida.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:47 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Mmmmm Fooood ::

One thing that I appreciate about my neighborhood is the abundance of good cheap food. I'm typing this right now at a place called Taste Bakery Cafe. It's great that they have free wireless access for us 'puter nerds but the food there is pretty good. They have really good coffee and muffins but they specialize in sandwiches, specifically the grilled "panini" types. I just polished off an excellent roast beef, roasted red pepper, and provolone panini. My favorite is a prosciutto, mozarella and tomato panini that’s also excellent. Wraps are also available but I'm not very big on wraps but I liked them in their original form back when they were called "burritos." My only complaint about this place is that they really should put more meat between the bread for what they charge.

One of the signature foods here is Cuban cuisine (stone crabs being the other, which I've yet to try) and there's a myriad of places to visit. They range from cozy hole-in-the-walls to somewhat upscale, almost-fine dining establishments. I've visited a couple of places already and both places provide large portions of some pretty good stuff. Like most Latin cuisines, their expertise is in meats and both places I went to really know how to work with their pork. And I don't know where else in the country you can get a decent Cuban sandwich but if you ever find yourself seeing it on the menu, give it a try.

The other thing I've noticed is the area is saturated with pizza shops. You go up to Washington and it seems like there's a pizza place on every block. I've sampled a few and discovered a couple that really stand out. But if you were to ask ten different people what their favorite pizza place is, chances are you might get seven or eight different answers.

I did try my hand at fine dining a few weeks ago when a friend visited. We went a place called "Touch" on Lincoln Road. (Lincoln Road is South Beach’s version of Santa Monica's 3rd St Promenade, except bigger and cleaner.) It's one of those terminally hip places where everyone who works there, whether male of female, looks like they stepped out of a fashion ad; where the interior architecure is alternately fascinating and garish and form takes precedence over function; where said employees attend to your needs with near-surgical precision while sporting only two facial expressions, impassive and less than impassive; where the restaurant turns into a club afterhours and there’s usually a seemlingly interminable line weaving its way out onto the street. In other words, places I tend to avoid (I only went upon my tourist friend's insistence, and besides, he was buying). It's also where the food, while rather expensive, is exquisitely appetizing.

My friend had an osso bucco dish which I thought was good but don't remember much else of since I was so engrossed in my own dish. I had a duck breast and leg cooked in some type of wine reduction and served with a side of veggies... er.. excuse me, sauted vegetables. This, I should point out, was my first time eating duck outside of a chinese restaurant. How was it? Pretty freakin' good. I'm not used to eating meat with a fruity tasting sauce but this was simply amazing. The duck breast was meaty and flavorful while the leg was tender and juicy. I think the sauce was red-wine based and complimented the duck without being cloying. Dessert was an incredible chocolate tiramisu and my reaction after the first bite was a rather gutteral moan, which if anyone had heard it, would have mistaken the sound for something completely unrelated to food. Fortunately, it was crowded and everyone was talking loudly, trying to make themselves heard over the music being played.

And yet... I'm looking forward to flying back to LA and sinking my teeth into a Double-Double or Tommy's chiliburger. Or a burrito or quesdilla from Amigos Tacos. Or even a Loco Moco from The Loft. Leave it to me to miss the food more than anything else. I'm food-brained or something. Dammit, I'm hungry again.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:22 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Gettin' Busy ::

Things have been really hectic around here lately, with only three weeks of classes left before finals week. That's one of the reasons I haven't been able to blog in the last week or so. Certainly, the amount of partying/clubbing/drinking has gone down (For most people anyway.) I forgot just how much time school can take up, being as it I don't seem to have much free time anymore despite not having a job.

I've lamented not have a TV ever since I've moved here since I can't catch my favorite shows (Ed, Letterman, SportsCenter) and I'm missing out on some pretty good new ones (Karen Sisco, Cold Pizza). It's probably been for the better since it forces me to focus on schoolwork whenver I'm at but at the same time, it cracks me up at my newfound capacity for goofing off when I should be working. Keep in mind that I don't even have an Internet connection at my apartment. But once again, I am nothing if not resourceful.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:01 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: I Attend a School of Lushes ::

My school seems to promote alcoholism. Okay, not really but hear me out. At the last few events the school has held (talent show, Halloween party) alcohol was served in the form of beer, wine, and wine coolers. It's probably worth mentioning that there were two kegs at the party and the partygoers bled them both dry. After which, naturally, they migrated to other places, be it bars, clubs or other parties in search of more alcoholic goodness (how the hell I ended up at the party I did is something I'm trying to play back in my mind in order to avoid any repeats).

It gets a little better. The school has a weekly soccer match every Sunday afternoon. The following Monday, just before guest lecture, they give out "soccer awards" to three members of each team for various on-field heroics, as well as an MVP award. The prize? Bottles of Heinekin. And the MVP gets an entire six-pack. I don't understand how but I've been the recipient of a bottle every week since week two. I even won MVP once. I don't know what to make of this other than that my initial reaction was "this is my kinda school. Somehow I've managed the entire time here without once getting drunk. I actually went all of last week without an a drink, which in this town, is something of a mild accomplishment.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:07 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Halloween in South Beach ::

Halloweeen this year was certainly a fascinating experience. The school had its annual costume party on Friday with the only requirement being "wear a costume." Being an art school one might expect the students to dress up with either really creative/unusual or elaborate costumes and it didn't disappoint. There were cheerleaders, an 80s prom queen, divas, witches, hula/belly dancers, etc. The women had pretty good costumes as well. There was a cop, a firefighter, a few cowgirls, Uma Thurman's character from "Kill Bill," a Bjork impressionist in her infamous "swan" dress, and one girl dressed as "Lt. Dangle" from the Comedy Central show "Reno 911." I went simple and dressed as "The Edge" from U2, same as last year. Not nearly as cool as the other costumes there but I received a few comments on how appropriate it was for me.

I don't know if this is something to be necessarily proud of but I attended and survived my first gay party without getting my salad tossed or anything. But our crowd being the way they are the moment the school party ran out of beer they were discussing on where to continue the evening. There's this one gay photographer in our quarter who told everyone about a party and a few people went along, not exactly knowing that we (men and women) were being invited to what was supposed to be a party exclusively for homosexual males.

If I may digress for a moment, have I mentioned that South Beach is crawling with gay guys? It's probably second in population density only to Frisco. Which is fine, they're generally harmless. I mean, at least there are a lot of hot women here to balance things out for us hetero guys. You take the good with the bad right? ;)

Now getting back on track, I tend to be more tolerant-minded than most so I didn't feel that uncomfortable there, and the hosts did provide plentiful free booze. Mostly I just stood around talking to the rest of the guys and gals in our group. I will say this: that night there were no bigger flames in the country than the ones on that corner of South Beach, San Diego wildfires included.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:03 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: One Year of Blogging ::

It just occured to me that October 7th marked one-year anniversary of this blog. I have to say, where's the time gone??? Not just that but, HOLY CRAP has my life changed. For the better I might add. I might browse into some of the archives to see what my mental state might have been in this last year or so since I'm curious as to how I've progressed. (And yes, I realize this particular post is all about me, me, me but that's because it's my blog.) One thing is for sure, I really didn't think I'd keep at it for this long.

To the all my readers - all five of you (I'll never get sick of that joke) - that still check in be it regularly or occasionally, thanks for hanging around.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:08 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Everyone ok Out There? ::

I was going to blog about Miami's festive reaction to the Florida Marlins winning the World Series (as if this city needs another reason to party) but right now I'm just worried about everyone back home. I know the South Bay is safe but is everyone else ok out there?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:27 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: A Magnificent World Series ::

As a transplanted Florida Marlins fan (though in my heart I'll always be a Dodgers fan), I've been totally enjoying the MLB Playoffs. It's been a blast watching this World Series so far and I'm expecting more close, riveting matches for games 5, 6, and 7. So nothing could possibly mar this experience, right? Lo and behold, who do they get to open tonight's game? Yanni (?!?!?!). Good gawd. I mean, Gloria Estefan was a predictable, cliched, though not a horrible choice to open the series here (as if she's Mrs. Miami or something) but... Yanni...

Tonight's game better be good.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:15 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Kill Bill Kills ::

By the way, I just saw Quentin Tarantino's latest "Kill Bill." If you haven't seen it, it's about as violent as you've probably heard. There's a lot of dismemberment, flying limbs and projectile blood loss but it's delivered in such a cartoonish manner that it's rather difficult to be shocked or grossed out by it. It's a rather spectacular mess of a film, but it's a type of mess that only a truly gifted filmmaker can make. A discerning viewer might notice flaw after flaw but the images flying across the screen is just so engrossing that you can't but help be entertained.

One last thing: whatever drugs Quentin Tarantino is doing, I want some of that.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:46 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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A few of my new friends have asked me if I got my sense of humor from my parents. I tell them yes, which is why my parents are no longer funny.

Going back to what I blogged about in my last post: Before leaving, I'd be the first one to admit that it'd be a huge adjustment to move out here for no other reason than that I've never lived on my own. Living at home for the first 28 years of life (pathetic, I know) allows for quite a bit of complacency (read: laziness) in one's lifestyle. So the fact that the entire transition - moving across the country to a place I've never been to, living on my own for the first time (not even any roomies), maintaining my own apartment, etc etc - has been so amazingly stress-free has been something of a surprise.

I asked a few friends about their experiences moving about the first time for college and most of them, even if merely moving to a new area code, said it was a huge change. So I'm guessing that the reasons for my relative ease is mainly due to my rather advanced age (notice I'm not using the word "maturity"). It's not a conclusion reached scientifically but it seems that even some of my early 20s classmates seem to require a longer adjustment period. I think it helps that I have a history of acclimating easily to new environments.

Have I mentioned what my place is like? I'm right smack dab in the middle of the art deco area and I live in the first floor of a yellow two-story apartment. It's about 600 square feet, has a decently sized kitchen, a ceiling fan, located around the corner from school, and clean. The only two complaints I would have about my studio? One: there is no carpeting anywhere and I had to sleep on the damn linolium floor the first nine days. Two: this is an art deco building erected in the 60's, back in the days when architects did lots of hard drugs and mistakenly thought that bright colors was the formula for good interior decoration. The unfortunate result of their altered state is that I'm stuck with a pink and lime green bathroom. Even the f***ing toilet is pink! Oh, about that toilet (hehe). This is a public restroom toilet. Seriously. There's NO RESERVIOR. Which means an extremely powerful flush and the occasional feeling that I'm in a movie theater or something. Especially nice is a high unlikeliness that this thing will ever get clogged. That's a good thing considering the large quantity of food I still eat and the commensurately large dumps I take. That's ok though. I enjoy a challange.

I'm sorry. Too much information? :D

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:06 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Back to School ::

I have to remind myself every now and then that the reason I've flown to the other side of the country is that I'm attending art school. You probably wouldn't know it from reading my blog since it's received only cursory mention so far. My first few weeks of school have been interesting in that this school is quite unique, even when compared to other art schools. For one, the President of the school is a real dog lover and dogs are allowed to freely roam the building (the place is too small to be referred to as a "campus"). Students are also allowed to bring pets with them as long as they don't take dumps inside the building (meaning the dogs). For another, I don't think any other school starts the year this disorganized. Our quarter apparently set a record for new students with a huge number of 48 and it seems that they've just now settled everything down, what with many students being confused about their schedules as recently as last Monday. And that's another thing. The question isn't what year you are, it's what quarter you are.

It's a tiny school. I always thought Art Center in Pasadena was a small but Miami Ad School makes Art Center look like Harvard (though we're no less prestigious =P). Ad School has satellite campuses all around the world and the total student population at all locations total roughly two hundred. The main "campus," where I am, is the largest with about 90 students.

Classes have been intersting so far. It's certainly been more compelling than similar courses at my old community college and the atmosphere is ripe for creative minds. I haven't had to do much studying yet but I've been loaded with homework and projects. It's the kind of stuff that I just might be doing out in the real world one of these days so doing this stuff has been relatively gratifying. The people who I've been hanging out with are also people I've had to partner up with for a couple of assignments and so far I've worked with good people. There's already word going around about who's good and who you don't want to work with, which has been kinda amusing.

I know I needed this change of pace but I didn't think I'd adjust this well this soon. While it may be too soon to use the word "thriving," I certainly feel like this move has been an enormous step forward. It's not to say that I'm in a seaside Utopia since I do have my share of problems to deal with every day. From a distance, it may not even seem like that my life has necessarily improved. Yes, the location is great but I had to make a lot of sacrifices to make this happen so it would seem that all I did was trade in my old set of problems for some new ones. But you know what? From my perspective, these new problems are the types I'd much rather endure. And the kind of person that I am, as self-masochistic as it may sound, it's extremely difficult for me to imagine a life without problems. It would just be too dull.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:53 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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It's rather unfortunate that the concept of being a "metrosexual" has become so prevalent in today's pop culture. Otherwise sane straight guys have actually been buying into this feminization of the male image. It's difficult to pinpoint the cause since you can't just blame things like "Will & Grace," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" or for that matter, "Sex and the City".

I noticed this trend slowly gathering steam years ago while suddenly being inundated with ads for male plastic surgery in the Sports section of the paper. I've seen ads for "rejuvenating" moisturizers and other beauty products geared specifically for men. Really? Guys need pectoral/butt/calf implants? Or Botox? Are we really that bothered by dry skin? And, outside of actors and male models (who are already gay), who actually gets these? Does the world really need guys who spend more time in the bathroom primping themselves in the morning than women? Do women really want a guy like that?

Apparently, a writer named Mark Simpson from England (it figures) coined this term back in the mid 90s. He writes: "The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference."

So one might conclude that this trend isn't really new. It's just that way back when, metrosexuals were referred to as that "vain, self-centered douche."

Who am I to denigrate such a subculture? A little about me: I'm a guy who makes a living in the arts, I freely admit to owning Sarah McLachlan CDs, I know exactly how Maverick felt when Goose died. BUT, I follow football and baseball almost religiously. My grooming can be best described as "scruffy." I've never used a loofah. I can't even describe what that even is. I like that I can wake up at 8:45 and make it to a 9:00 class on time. I'm not proud or ashamed of any of these things, it's just how I am.

What guys need is a shot of testosterone. Not botox.

Don't misunderstand. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with a guy who likes to take care of himself but there are - or should be - limits to what is required of a man. Granted, if a guy has a monobrow that looks like a bumper from a '74 Austin Healey, he should tweeze that to achieve some sort of separation. If a guy's body odor is similar to the underside of a manhole cover, a good bathing, and perhaps a disinfecting, is in order. And even men think that bushy backhair is gross. But if a guy gets indignant over a $34 bottle of bodywash called Fruit-a-vis-a-Fla-la-la because it doesn't contain exfoliants, his priorities are a little skewed. Don't ask if your new designer jeans look "fabulous." And just so we're clear, we don't care that your $20 bottle of lotion smells of jasmine. In fact, don't ever utter the word "jasmine" unless you're referring to your girlfriend or a really hot stripper. Seriously, a $1.50 bar of Zest is just as effective.

I'll also point out that some degree of sensitivity isn't a bad thing either. I think every guy at some point in his life should serenade the women he loves, regardless of singing ability. Or volunteer a few weekends dishing out food at a homeless shelter. You can even admit to your girlfriend that you shed a few tears at the end of "Old Yeller" or that you have an inexorable love for Sarah McLachlan's music. But if you started bawling during "Ann of Green Gables" don't ever admit that in public. Or that you got all flustereed because Bloomingdales ran out of your favorite lotion.

The metrosexual male is analogous to a female bodybuilder, and I'm not referring to fit, athletic women. Athletes like Gabrielle Reese, Mia Hamm, Steffi Graf, and Jennie Finch are impressive displays of power and grace. But when a woman takes working out and building muscle mass to an extreme it's not pretty. She ends up looking masculine. And creepy. (On a personal note, It's just wrong when a woman has bigger thighs than I do.) Likewise, when a man embraces the metrosexual lifestyle, they just come off as girly and again, it's not pretty. Well... actually it might be quite pretty but to a demographic they're not shooting for.

It's not just guys that think this way. I know women who know guys like this and they're always saying that he's just a couple of steps from having a coming-out party. I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that a good number of women enjoy making over their boyfriends: picking out his clothes, grooming him, etc. And most of them, even the "modern women" who are, independent, financially secure, and possess a rich personal life admit that they still want the man to be the man in the relationship. (I once dated girl like this, though she was rather domineering. She liked to walk on the ground I worship.)

I'm not calling for a return to the "me Tarzan, you my bitch" type machismo. Simply, guys should embrace their masculine grit and verve. We're supposed to be a big, hairy, and maybe a little pungent. We shouldn't have to apologize for loving sports and beer, working on our cars, bonding by farting, and believing that baseball caps can be an essential part of a wardrobe ("wardrobe," not "couture"). Guys, should just be guys. Nothing more, nothing less.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:56 PM [+] :: |
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:: Nice Place, Good People ::

As much as I like the locale, exploring South Beach wouldn?t be nearly as much fun unless you can share the experience with others and most of the other students in my class that I've met seem to be good people. In this case, ?good? meaning ?fun to hang with? which at this point of my stay, is really all I can ask for. I can?t say for sure which of these people, if any, are the types that?ll still be friends five or ten years down the line but then I said the same thing about a lot of poeple from NewSong and that was about four years ago and many of them are people I would hope to still know another four-plus years from now.

One of the great things about living in South Florida is the ethnic and cultural diversity. I?ve met people from Brazil, Chicago, North Carolina, Boston, Texas, and even a few from L.A. Funny thing about this other fellow Angelinos; there are four students from there including me. The other three are all attractive, blonde, and female. And then there?s scruffy ?ol me, who?s neither attractive, blonde, nor female. Now, while my personality may be better represented by faux blonde hair, at least visually it makes for an amusing contrast. It does to me anyway, and apparently only me. Fortunately, I?ve made enough of an impression on everyone that I think they consider me just another white guy from the west coast.

Anyway, go Marlins!!!

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:58 PM [+] :: |
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:: I Love this Town ::

I really like it here. There's quite a few students who rent out places at a luxury hi-rise apartment complex a couple of blocks from school and we meet there for a BBQ every Sunday night after our weekly school soccer game at Flamingo park. It's a great place to live, with views of the city and ocean on one side and views of the bay and downtown Miami on the other.

During a lull in the action, after everyone ate and was lounging around talking about miscellaneous stuff, I went for a quick dip in the pool to do a few laps. I tend to prefer swimming alone because as much weight as I might have lost, I'm still not at the point where I should subject anyone to seeing me shirtless. Anyway, I was wading in the middle of the pool, enjoying the warm water, the comfortable 84 degree weather, and taking in the spectacular skyline view of Miami across the bay and I couldn't help but think:

"There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be than right here."

Have I mentioned how much I really like it here?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:41 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Other Ideas ::

It's kinda cool that the entire school building has wireless network ability so that students can access the Internet anywhere on campus. I'm doing this on my laptop in the lounge at the moment. I just got out of my last class for the week (early) and I'm about to go home and change and meet up with some friends tonight to head over to the local pub and watch tonight's Red Sox/Oakland game. I already have a favorite watering hole here: This place called the Irish House. It's almost a dive bar; dark, wood paneled interior, good music, great beer, and some pretty good food. And the best thing? They have ESPN!

A few people in the group actually want to leave early and go to clubbing at this place called Luna. Or something like that. I'm vascillating since I'm kinda clubbed out and the game could actually be a good one. Seriously, doesn't anyone in this town just go to the movies? And on a weekend?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:31 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Getting Caught Up in the Nightlife ::

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I told myself I wasn't going to get swept up in the seeming frivolity of the South Beach Nightlife and yet...

I finally got some furniture into my place and I moved most of it in my place by 10:30pm with the help of few of my classmates. Afterwards, they decided to go to Senor Frog's for live rock music and 25 cent beer and I, in my (in)finite wisdon, decided to join them. I was hungry and I didn't feel like cooking. Well, I didn't get any food, and to make a long story short, our group partied at Frog's well into the night and somehow ended up at a cool little Irish pub quaffing pints of Guinness at 4:30 in the morning. Keep in mind this is now Tuesday. You should also know that I had a 9:00am class that day. Fortunately, the one good decision I made that night was to pace myself so my lifelong streak of never being drunk still stands.

Still. No one in their right minds should be out this late, drinking this much beer (regardless of the price), on weeknight, the evening before a morning class. It just isn't natural. And yet, here... that type of night seems so normal.

I didn't get to bed (I actually have a bed now! Actually it's a futon but it feels like clouds in heaven after sleeping on tile floors the last week) till around 5:30 and yet somehow managed to drag myself out to class and make it on time. Don't ask me how. I just know it wasn't on my own strength.

I just got out of class and I'm typing this out in the school lobby while waiting for the rain to die down so I can walk home since I forgot my umbrella (again). I'm gonna get some sleep.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:16 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: South Beach Life ::

I've been keeping a journal of sorts the last few days trying to keep track of what's been happening here while I've been Internet access deprived so here's what I have so far:

Saturday 27, 2003. 7:46pm

I’ve had the (mis)fortune of experiencing the very tropical nature of Miami Beach’s climate firsthand the last couple of days. There’s a runnning joke among the locals that you know what time it is by when the rain hits. It’s not just the precipitation, it’s that it occurs while it’s still hot and humid. A cloudburst during an afternoon of 88 degree heat with 80% humidity isn’t uncommon here. It’s already happened a couple of times and I’ve been caught in the rain twice. Don’t ask me how but I did actually have the foresight to bring an umbrella with me from LA just in case, but I’ve yet to carry it with me at the appropriate time.

Having said that, South Beach is just beautiful, weather permitting. Even during the rains, it’s pretty here. I’ve witnessed the far too rare occurrences of rain while the sun is still shining, one of my favorite types of weather. The hardest thing to get used to in this place isn’t really the heat or the humidity. One has to get used to the fact that the temperature variances are very slight. Humidity will always remain in the 80s and up, but while the noon temperature might be 90, at midnight it’s drops down to a brisk 84 or so. I go through t-shirts here like Madonna goes through bedmates.


Sunday 28, 2003 4:15pm

My first taste of the South Beach Nightlife was, rather... vigorous? Everyone knows that I’m not into clubbing. Give me a quiet coffee house or a sports/dive bar anyday but since I’m here, I might as well at some point or another get a sample of the famed South Beach Nightlife. I just didn’t think it’d happen so soon.

The evening starteed at TGI Friday’s for an informal dinner to meet other Ad School students. They seemed like a nice enough bunch and afterwards we decided to hang out a little more at this bar called Wet Willy’s, where they seem to specialize in blended (read: chick) drinks.

Once that place got old, we trekked over to a Coyote Ugly-style place called Automatic Slims. Upon walking through the door, I’m treated to a sight of four young, female, midriff-clad bartenders dancing on top of the bar to classic rock music (at least it wasn’t country). Again, not my type of place but at least the place did have a TV and we stayed long enough to so that I could watch SportsCenter (I don’t have a TV at my place yet and I’ve been going through a rather severe SportsCenter withdraw). Slims was having a promotion where they gave out free t-shirts if you bought a Miller Lite so I figured what the hell, I need more shirts and I was thirsty. That, by the way, was the first and last time drinking Miller LIte. That crap is almost as bad a Corona.

The next place was a Salsa club called Bash. I wasn’t allowed in initially since my attire didn’t fit their dress code (since when were board shorts and sneakers inappropriate club attire?!?!). It wasn’t too far from my place so I went home and changed into something more fitting for the atmosphere (if you could only feel the discontent as I typed out that last sentence). Anyway, it was a fairly decent place with overwhelmingly loud music. Actually, all three places (and most clubs, really) have overwhelmingly loud music. Not that I have anything against loud music, as long as it’s in a controlled environment. Controlled meaning my car or apartment and I’m the only one there. I’m not necessarily claustrophobic but being sardined into a space with a bunch of strangers is a bit too much for my senses.

It’s rare that I go to a club in a year but three in a single night? Ugh. Not to say I didn’t have fun but it was all a bit much to take in at once. My clubbing quota is beyond met and I think I’m good until, I don’t know, 2008.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:42 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Good Morning Miami ::

I just flew in about 5:30 last night and got to my new place around 7:00 or so. I spent part of this morning exploring my surroundings and I gotta tell ya, it's great. I just came from the beach, where at 9:00 in the morning, I saw the sunrise over the water while enjoying high 80s temperature and dipping my toes in 82 degree water. Of course, things will change once school starts and I won't have time to enjoy such things but it's nice to know that's out there.

I'm at an Internet cafe a few blocks down from my place so I have to keep this brief but I'll update again as soon as I get my computer.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:12 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Good Bye, Good Night. ::

Today was my last day of work, and without any real irony, I spent most of the day doing other stuff. Apartment hunting occupied most of my morning, then a long lunch with a friend, and then a few minutes of updating my blog when I came back. I did get some work in but it there wasn't much to do so spent the rest of the afternoon gathering my stuff. I'm actually going to have to come in over the weekend just to take all my stuff home. It's mostly CDs too. I didn't realize I brought so many CDs to work. I have to tell you, I'm not gonna miss this place.

Speaking of apartment hunting I finally have a place to live! And get this, it's only one block away from school according to the rental agent. Thank you God! Being car-less, distance was a very high priority, next to affordability and this place is only $600 a month. Not bad for a "spacious" (agent's word) studio that's mere blocks away from the ocean. Though saying it's "spacious" for a studio is akin to saying a 4Runner is "fuel efficient" for an SUV. Not that I'm complaining. All I'm taking is clothes, my baseball glove, and my guitar. You know, just the essentials. I won't have enough stuff to fill a closet so it's not like I'll be lacking in space.

It's amazing to me how - for lack of a better word - easy this most of this has been. (Though I may be jinxing the whole thing just by typing that previous sentence.) I actually got accepted on my first attempt, my ticket fare is reasonably priced, registration has been painless, my parents have been incredibly supportive and now I find an affordable place a short distance from campus. The more I keep moving forward, the more I'm convinced that this is the path I'm supposed to follow. Yes there was still a small part of me that had doubts, cynical bastard that I am. This is clearly God's way of telling me "see what happens when you trust me? I'm God, this stuff is a cakewalk for me. All you have to do is ask. By the way, consider this is a preview because once you're buried under the typical art student workload, not only will you be praying to me, you're gonna be crying, begging and pleading for my intervention. And yes, Jesus still loves you."

And odd as it may seem, I'm looking forward to those days. I've had to deal with juggling school and work before but this is far beyond what I'm used to, and I'm eager to test the limits of my intestinal fortitude. That is why I'm doing this. I really don't need to go art school to forge a career in commercial arts. I have to test myself. I need to be scared s***less. I need to get my butt kicked. Hard. I need to learn to swallow my pride and reach out for help when I'm down. As a firm believe in the idiom "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" I need to be challenged. Not that I have a limp noodle for a backbone. Far from it, but it just seems like it's been a while since I've ventured beyond my comfort zone. I need to face these trials, look it in the eye and have the strength - be it my own or from a higher source, most likely the latter - to say, "I am NOT your bitch!" Unlike say, the other night at Pink's when I almost succumbed to my third Polish dog.

But that's different ;)

And to be completely honest, I much prefer to deal with the pressures of completing multiple projects while facing a looming deadline as opposed the pressure of finding a roof over my head. I mean seriously, they have hurricanes over there!

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:53 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Places to Go, People to Miss. ::

Heading into my last weekend in Los Angeles, my brain is just inundated with various thoughts, though oddly enough, the main one seems to be "I really need to practice my guitar for Sunday." I'm still trying to figure out why I'm not more excited/anxious/freaked out and the best thing I can come up with is that since I've been planning for this for the last year or so, now that it’s here... I guess I'm just better prepared for it.

I've spent the last two weeks getting together with some close friends just to hang out and visit my favorite food spots one last time.

A couple of weeks ago, I was treated to dinner at Hennessy's Tavern in Redondo Beach by my friend Brian. It's bar/restaurant with great sandwiches and a really good corned beef dinner. And they serve an exceptionally well-poured glass of Guinness. A week later I took him out for his birthday and after watching "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (very entertaining) we headed up to Pink's Hotdogs. Being his birthday, I made him eat a little more than he can typically handle. It would cause hims some abdominal discomfort and in turn, him cursing my name and the day he met me on drive home. I’m sure he was cursing even more the next morning while sitting on the toilet. Something that naturally, brings a smile to my face. Happy birthday buddy =)

Last Wednesday, high school pal Neil and I drove up to the Original Tommy's for my last bite of these gloriously unhealthy chili burgers. If you've never been, I can describe it in two words: worthwhile diarrhea. It's that good. This guy is the one who's been the biggest supporter of this move and having vacationed in Miami last year, has been especially generous with his advice on what to expect. He's also the guy who shared my steak dinner and Vegas experiences, by the way.

I spent Saturday evening with Joo, who’s also moving to the east coast. New Jersey in her case. It was again in Redondo but this time dinner was at a little French place called Aimee's. My blue collar tastes don't always allow me to appreciate stuffy French places but this one is actually quite nice. Not only is the food great but the atmosphere is casual and unpretentious (accordion music aside). Afterwards was dessert at ColdStone's, then coffee at my favorite coffee house called Coffee Cartel. It's similar to Central Perk of "Friends" fame in that the so-called dining area not only has tables, but sofas and couches to lounge on. Very homey.

Actually, if there's one part of L.A. that I'm going to miss is that little corner of Redondo. So many of my favorite hang outs and restaurants are there. The aforementioned Aimee's and Hennessy’s Tavern. Coffee Cartel is there, right next to one of my favorite restaurants; Redondo Beach Brewing Company. For many reasons that night was particularly enjoyable, not just because I managed to visit two spots but the company was great as well. Nothing against Brian but that place just seemed nicer when it's shared with an attractive, engaging woman who's capable of fun, intelligent conversation. Come to think of it, most things are nicer when shared with an attractive, engaging woman who's capable of fun, intelligent conversation.

This afternoon I had lunch at Wahoo’s with Kathy. I have no idea if Florida has fish tacos, being a product of Mexico and all and as far as I know, Cuban cuisine doesn’t have fish tacos on their menus. Again, while I've been to Wahoo's many times before, it just seemed nicer this time. If you have to ask why, simply refer to the last sentence of the previous paragraph.

I have a few more "appointments" this coming weekend, all of which I'm looking forward to. As much as I'll miss the only place I've ever called home, I'm aware that it's the people that make it what it is. In that sense, my definition of "home" is similar to the Biblical definition of "Church." For that matter I'm really going to miss NewSong. I know that Miami and South Beach are saturated with quaint little places that I would no doubt like but the cynic in me thinks that the people I meet just won't be the same. Then again I hear that if you can make friends in LA, you can make friends anywhere.

Stay tuned.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 7:30 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: God Rest your Soul Johnny Cash ::

I can't believe Johnny Cash passed away this morning. It's not unexpected for someone of his age having to endure the six years of various medical complications. Yet, thanks to his renowned resilience he remained prolific, recording several well regarded albums during that time. It's not like he died a glorious Rock Star’s Death of overdosing on drugs or asphyxiating on their own vomit but fittingly enough for him, died of natural causes due to complications from diabetes.

I'm not a country and western music fan but I've always had enormous respect for the Man in Black. The guy earned every lyric that he sang, and his voice could arguably be declared a national treasure. That massive baritone of his just has tremendous presence. People these days might wax poetic about the voice of the guy from Creed but he’s a helium-inhaling Billy Barty compared to Cash. As for his songs, few can match his passion and reach into the American Spirit the way he can. His music embodied the sometimes torturous journey of achieving the American Dream and how it can exorcise those demons through art.

Since many, if not most, of the great musicians and rock stars are thriving in Hell, it's good to know that Heaven has another great voice to augment its Choir of Angels. God rest your soul Johnny Cash. Your presence on earth will be missed but your soul and voice will always endure.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:32 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Geez. This is really happening. Everything is happening. Things are falling into place like they should be. I remember praying for some sort of direction - any sort of direction - regarding my future and to close whatever doors that I'm not supposed to go through. And here... so far things seem to be going well and all signs declare that this path is indeed my... fate? Destiny? My financial aid for the quarter set, the first tuition check is mailed out, and I purchased my plane ticket (non-refundable), all today. Everything went smoothly. I wonder if this is the calm before the storm.

It occurred to me earlier that other than a few of my close friends, not many people know I'm leaving. One friend who I told insisted on throwing some type of farewell get-together, an idea I rather vehemently objected to. Not that I didn't appreciate the gesture but I hate being the center of attention in that manner, so much so that I don't even want friends throwing me birthday parties. That and I'm absolutely certain that hordes of people will attend this gathering only too rhapsodic with exultation to see me off. What's that quote? "Give the people what they want..." ;-)

What's going to happen is a few quiet dinners with said close friends in the next couple of weeks just to hang out, one on one, and travel down nostalgia road one last time. Fortunately, no one seems to have taken this particularly hard since the ones who know me know that I’m not going to lose touch. If anything, most reactions have been overwhelmingly positive.

Someone posed the question of my "legacy" or how I want people to remember me. First off, don't you actually have to be someone of great importance to even think about leaving a "legacy?" Anyway, favorite Subaru is the WRX, not the Legacy. *rimshot* Second... well... to be honest... I don't care. I never really gave much thought to what "people" thought of me. What I care about is the few "persons" that have been a large, important part of my life. Those few people, whether they've known me three years or thirteen years (the two guys who’ve known me for over a decade deserve effusive acclamation for putting up with my crap all that time) are the ones I'm going to miss because they've made an impact on my life. Whether it's because they were there to lean on during my struggles, or simply there to share a raucous laugh or three. The fact that they've been so supportive of this, I'm forever grateful.

That and some of them know that they're going to have a free place to crash should they ever decide to vacation in Florida. That's what it is. They’re just taking advantage of my munificence.

Bastards =)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:54 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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If everything goes well (and things rarely do with me) I should be flying out to Miami in about two weeks. "Everything goes well" entailing getting my financial aid in order, securing an apartment, and having enough luggage to take whatever it is I need. I supposed purchasing a plane ticket would help too, no? =P I have no idea what it's like for 18 year olds to be leaving the nest moving on to college life, being as it I went to a local community college, but I'm guessing it's supposed to be a lot more stressful than it is for me right now. Maybe it's because I have an extra 10 years of life experience and maturity to lean on. Don't laugh. Mentally at least, as far as I'm concerned the hardest part – getting accepted to the damn school in the first place – is over. But thinking about everything I have to do and the money required to get anything done, it's just something I accepted as part of the plan so as of yet, I'm not freaking out. Now, I’m not the type to really freak out over anything, but there's a voice in the back of my head telling me that I really don't have any business being this calm. Let's just see how I’m feeling a week from now.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:35 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I just got a package from Miami Ad School this morning. It looks like I'll be finishing out this year in Miami Beach =)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:26 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Where has the Time Gone? ::

I can't believe it's September already. Geez. It just doesn't feel like that many months have passed since the Bucs won the Super Bowl, or the baseball season started. It wasn't that long ago California's political future wasn't the laughing stock of the nation, or NewSong existed only in Irvine. It doesn't seem that long ago that I wasn in Boston beeming with pride as I watched my kid brother graduate from Bah-ston Cah-llege. For that matter, it doesn't seem that long ago that there was still the possiblity (albeit miniscule) that I might receive a degree before he did. Is it truly age that makes the time seem to faster? If so, just how fast are the next few years gonna fly by? Will I achieve all that I want to? Accomplish all my goals? Meet the people I want to meet? Make the time to *shudder* get married? See all the things I want to see? Who's going to be there with me as I travel this winding road, whether it be by my side or from a distance? Are any of these sentences even grammatically correct? ;) So many questions, thoughts, mysteries, and even problems that I'm faced with and some of these I haven't slightest clue as to how they will be answered, if at all. I guess that's why it's called "life."

By the way, this why I tell my "normal" friends that they should be lucky that they don't have my "artist's" mentality. They have real, tangible problems. They couldn't handle dealing with my crap because my problems are *existential.* Hell, they barely know what to make of it hearing it from me. Why yes, as a matter or fact, I do sometimes roll my eyes at myself when I listen to myself speak.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:20 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: The Hollywood Bowl ::

Last night was my first trip to the Hollywood Bowl. I've heard a lot of things about it from friends who are more cultured than I but never had the opportunity until now. The performance was John William's "greatest hits". While I'm not the biggest fan of classical music I do have tremendous respect for it, and I consider a composer's ability to write a good film score almost as remarkable as a musician's ability to write a timeless rock album.

I wasn't sure what to expect other than that our seats were all the way up in the back. For some reason I though that we'd be situated in a grassy section of the bowl so we'd be watching while sitting on the ground. Apparently, all sections have benches, which for me, made the picnicking part of the evening a little awkward since we had to pass around all the food and drinks. At least the stuff being passed around was good. We had pigs in a blanket, hot wings (that were truly hot), sausage and crackers, and other typical picnic food. Wine was various pinots (people in this group seem to be fixated on pinots for some reason) and I sampled a little bit each bottle. I think they brought at least four different types. I don't know what any of them were called since I had trouble reading the labels due to the lack of lighting so I simply held out my glass whenever I was offered some wine.

The performance from the LA Philharmonic was excellent. The first half started off with a medley of William's best-known stuff, followed by songs from his latest works. Scores he composed for the movie "Catch me if you Can" and the upcoming "Harry Potter" film. He spoke between sets and was always very gracious and occasionally humorous, pointing out that our chance to listen to his music without "the film getting in the way."

After intermission, we moved up a few sections to an unoccupied section of the Bowl. We were still a good distance from the stage but the sound seemed a little crisper without all the extra bodies around to absorb the sound. That was good thing since the second half started of with songs from what’s probably his most famous score, "Star Wars." And the real treat was special guest narrator James Earl Jones, who received a standing ovation when his name was announced. That was cool, let me tell you. He narrated various parts of the story and the orchestra would play the music appropriate to that respective scene. It’s times like this when it's good to have an active imagination since every time a song played I could close my eyes and see the scene from the movie playing through in my head. That should tell you how something about how many times I've seen the films.

That went on for almost an hour and it was worthy of yet another standing ovation once it was finished. He stayed for a few encores and played the scores from "Superman" and "Indiana Jones" to cap off the evening. It was great. I'm gonna have to see about going back to the Hollywood Bowl again, maybe for a blues festival or something.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:06 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Follow me. I'm gonna total this thing. ::

I've been working rather frantically the last couple of weeks trying to get a portfolio together for admissions into art school. Exacting, anal-retentive perfectionist that I am when it comes to work that I have to show to others, it's probably taking me longer than it really should. But then it's always been like this for the last several years and thing usually work out well for me more often than not and for something as important as this, that isn't going to change.

Something as important as this. Geez. I haven't grappled with a decision of this magnitude since I bought my acoustic guitar. (Okay, maybe a little more serious than that.) And it's not just that the things I've done the last few weeks and will do in the next two days might affect the next two years (never mind the rest of my life). I'm not even vacillating on the where, when, or how. Or even why. It boils down to will it or won't it happen and it's clear to me that I'm at a point in my life that I know that this is something I absolutely have to do. It's something that’s crucial to my... maturation? Growth? Character? Soul (as cheesy as that sounds)? I can't even begin to try to explain it in a way that would make sense to anyone without carrying on and on for several paragraphs and if you actually read through my entire Vegas blog (August 10), you know that I tend to take the long way in storytelling.

Friends have asked me if I'm frightened of the possible change and I usually reply "yes" but not for the typical reasons. I couldn't really explaing it before because, frankly, I didn't know. Now that I've really had time to think about it what scares me isn't the possibility of change. What scares the hell out of me is if nothing changes. It wasn't very long ago that I never seriously considered living anywhere outside of Los Angeles but now, the only way I can see my existence continuing at all is to start again somewhere else. Of the three or four people I've tried to explain this to, only one seems to even remotely understand.

I used to wonder if a year from now, whether I'd be seeing a Tigers/Lions game or Marlins/Dolphins game. Good ol' American comfort food or Cuban cuisine? Two seasons or four? Affable, down-to-earth Midwestern women or passionate, exotic Latin women? It all seems so trivial now. I have a fairly decent idea of where I’ll be headed, when I’ll be heading there, and what I’ll be doing once I get there. I haven’t quite worked out the logistics of such a drastic move, other than that I’m taking my guitar with me =)

Pray for me. I’m about to jump off a cliff holding nothing but a cheap umbrella.

It just occured to me, I was going to write about something else but this blog just took a drastic turn after the first paragraph. You fellow bloggers might be able to relate to this: ever start writing and the words flowing from your fingers somehow take on a life of their own? Kinda like a bad rumor?

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:38 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: NewSong. Like no Other. ::

It's not something I express enough, but I just love NewSong. And not necessarily for reasons you might imagine.

You watch Letterman or Conan O'Brian and during any given night they might be reciting an anecdote, sketch, or joke and mention some city outside of New York. Nine out of ten times, that random city will incite a flurry of applause and/or "wooo!!!" or "yeeaah!" from the audience. Well, a couple of weekends ago, AE was sharing a little story and just happened to mention something about the University of Illinois, Urbana. Upon mention of that school there was an enthusiastic "woohoo!" from a rather vocal girl in the congregation. (I know who it was but I'll refrain from mentioning her name here.) In a church. You gotta love it. A friend and I shared a good laugh over it. Only at NewSong.

I'm telling ya, if I ever have to leave this place, I'm gonna miss it dearly.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 9:19 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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After having spent last weekend in Las Vegas, the first couple of days back was an interesting study in contrast in that one has to adjust to returning to a city that has... what’s the word I'm looking for... ah yes... laws. Not to say Vegas doesn't have laws but you wouldn't find laws specifying zoning ordinances regarding legalized prostitution in say, Brea. Speaking of which, in reference to the latest ads stating "what happens in Vegas staysin Vegas", how sad is it that I spent all that time there and yet, had all that stuff I actually could write about? How pathetic is that? I mean, all that alcohol (for me anyway) and I didn’t even get a buzz. Though I might have esperienced a contact high while walking around outside. Or maybe I was just getting light-headed from the heat. I dunno.

A friend of mine asked if I'm eager to go back soon after hearing about my weekend. I had to say "no" because as much fun as I had, that city is so busy with so much stuff going on all simultaneously that had I stayed any longer, it would have just result in sensory overload. Keep in mind that this is despite staying at a house in a residential area a good fifteen minutes away from the Strip. That and I just couldn’t shake the feeling of deliberate artificiality so intrinsic to Vegas. I realize I’m stating the obvious in saying it’s a completely manufactured city. It clearly doesn’t bother most people who go there, and it certainly didn’t bother me. I just couldn’t escape the constant thought that while entertaining, this city just isn’t… "natural." Something just isn’t right. It's different.

I know how to explain it. Las Vegas is analogous to a pair of fake breasts: nice to look at, fun to play with, can be entertaining for hours on end, and diligent, careful manipulation along with some investment of personal time and expense can potentially lead to magnificent rewards... but after a while, you just need to get back to something real. (Also, bear in mind that this explanation is based solely on the testimony of others.) One needs to return to reality, if you will.

Yeah, I enjoyed myself but I think I'm good for the next year or so.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:32 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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It’s been a good ten years since my last trek out to Las Vegas and I was curious as to see how much it’s changed. Well, it’s brighter, flashier, and a bit more gaudy. And I enjoyed almost every minute I was there. (I’ll explain the “almost” later on.)

Instead of a hotel I stayed at my friend’s parent’s house (who happened to be out of town that weekend). I’ve heard that the newer hotels are posh but this house was very nice. Big TV, comfy bed, A/C, a decent pool, and fridge stocked with sodas. We left Friday night and arrived about a half past midnight. After changing he took us to a place called “Palms.” A nice enough hotel/casino… actually they’re all hotel/casinos… that he likes since his luck is usually good there. He tried to explain craps to me but I just ended up watching him and making flirty eye contact with one of the girls working the chips at the table. He left on the plus side and we just walked around a little bit with our free beers. We ended up at another place eating an $8.99 prime rib dinner (which included a beer =)) at 3:30 in the morning. Only in Vegas would this feel normal. And only in Vegas would an $8.99 prime rib be pretty good.

We spent most of Saturday afternoon doing stupid touristy stuff, walking from hotel to hotel. Did I mention that it was 110 with 30% humidity the whole weekend? We visited Paris, Aladdin, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, and the Venetian, but not before placing bets on the day’s baseball games. Since I’m having some decent success with my fantasy baseball team, I thought I'd do ok here. We had lunch at the Venetian at this one Italian place. We started off with a salt cod dish of some sort, which was pretty good. I ate a proscuitto, basil, and mozzarella pizza, which was excellent. I probably liked that hotel the best since it houses some pretty good art work on the walls and ceiling in some parts of the shopping area. I don’t know how closely it approximates the paintings in Italy but I thought it was cool. Just before leaving he wanted to play the “Wheel of Fortune” slot machine. He’s had average luck with this machine in the past but I don’t know if it was just stupid beginner’s luck but he told me to spin a few times and guess what… we won. Big. I was having an excellent weekend, let me tell you. He dubbed me his new good luck charm.

We went back home to relax for a little bit before our big night out. I took a quick dip in the pool to try escape the heat. Our plans for that night was visiting his favorite steakhouse, heading out to the Hard Rock, and then visiting MGM Grand and New York-New York.

The steakhouse was called Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. Remember what I wrote about Fleming’s Steakhouse a couple of weeks ago? Well, this place was slightly, yet noticeably better. The beefsteak tomato salad was good, the creamed spinach was scrumptious, and the Porterhouse Steak was absolutely divine. I ordered it charred rare, as I usually do and luxuriated in every bite, all 24 ounces worth. The quality of the steak was excellent, and the kitchen did a terrific job of cooking it up exactly the way it was ordered. A nice, crusty outside complementing the glowing red, juicy inside. You couldn’t ask for a better cut of beef. The wine was another California Cabernet, this time something called Plumpjack. It was a little fruitier tasting than the Trilogy we had last time and, befitting its price, it was quite good. About that price, he said to me “don’t make this a habit.” Nah. I’m still a beer guy.

We tried our luck at the Hard Rock but we weren’t able to duplicate our afternoon success. Fortunately we came back enough to leave almost even. The highlight of that place was seeing a display case of one of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s guitars. That was a very ethereal moment for me.

The MGM and New York were nice but luck wasn’t very nice there either. I didn’t play but my buddy tried his hand at craps and couldn't get anything going. It seemed the guys at that table were throwing nothing but sevens. Geez. About that “almost” part. I hated watching him lose money like that and there were several times I wanted to yell “g@#d da^^it, stop throwing sevens!!!” It’s ok though. He came back to even later that night at the black jack tables.

There was this nightclub called Tabu that he really wanted to visit. I was skeptical at first but he needed a lift after what happened so I agreed, though I didn’t think we get in since this place had an “upscale and trendy” dress code and I happen to be neither (I'm not necessarily referring to my clothes). We finally did get in, and I was kinda reminded of why I don’t go clubbing. Not that this was a bad place, if anything it was pretty classy. But I don’t usually care for rooms packed with people while being inundated with extremely loud, monotonous, bass-heavy dance music. I mostly stood around with my beer while he walked around and did his thing. After a while, I moved around a little bit to check things out (that and I wanted another beer). It occurred to me then that I really don’t have a clue as to what to do at these types of places. It was virtually impossible to talk, I can't dance, all the seats were taken, and I don’t know if it was couple’s night but all the good-looking chicks were there with their boyfriends. So I went to the bar and flirted a little bit with the bartender (an attractive blonde) while ordering an overpriced beer. Now, I don’t care if it’s from Belgium or that it’s flavored with raspberries. Twelve freakin’ dollars?!? Gawd. I think she was impressed that I ordered that particular bottle since it seemed the most popular drink there was Corona. Either that or she thought I was a high roller. (Nah.) She just seemed to be paying more attention to me than most other guys, even coming back a few times to ask me how my beer was. She even mentioned that it’s the only beer she can drink. Yes I’m fully aware that she could have simply been working me so I'd buy more drinks – meaning more tips for her – but two was enough for me and... frankly I don’t care =P

Afterward, he tried blackjack again and ended up ok. The funniest part of that session was that the dealer thought I was his bodyguard. He’s not a big guy and while I’m not huge, I’m a gorilla next to him. Not as hairy but almost as ugly. It didn’t help that he played along. I guess guys with a lot of money being escorted by a bodyguard isn’t unusual there. I got another laugh about that later. What happened was I got bored and walked over to the bar to watch SportsCenter. The dealer pointed out that his “bodyguard” was leaving and he replied “it’s ok. He has to feed.” I should point out, he gets really funny when he's had a few.

Sunday was relatively uneventful. We started off with another round of baseball parlays, which we both lost by one game. Last time I listen to him. We had a delicious Sunday brunch buffet that had all the standard breakfast fare as well as various meats, Mexican food, Chinese food, and seafood. I had a slice of their prime rib and let me tell you, no buffet this affordable has any right serving prime rib this good. Ironically, that was the only buffet I went to all weekend.

I walked around Caesar’s Palace afterwards debating whether or not to purchase some new sunglasses with my newfound riches but decided against it when I couldn’t find the Oakleys that I liked. Our last meal at Vegas was an Irish Pub that caters to Pittsburgh Steelers fans during the football season. Rumor has it that this pub was originally built in Dublin and was brought over and rebuilt brick by brick, panel by panel. True or not, I loved it. THAT is my kind of restaurant. Friendly, casual, and lively atmosphere, good food (my corned beef sandwich was very nice) and a very impressive number or Irish and British beers on tap. If there’s one place I’d want to come back to in Vegas, this is it.

Can I tell ya? I had a lot of fun. Vegas isn’t really my kind of town but I needed to get away for a little bit and it turned out to be a great weekend.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:31 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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In about two two hours, I'm gonna be leaving for Las Vegas. Vegas baby Vegas!!! :)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 5:59 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Most of you know I'm trying to get into art school. One of the schools requires an interview or, if the proximity to the campus is prohibitive, an interview video. They have a list of questions on their site for applicants to answer. Questions ranging from "which program are you applying for?" to "tell us your favorite movies/books/commercials and why." So last week a buddy of mine came over and helped me film this thing. I would have preferred to do the interview but I don't have the time to fly out to Miami. That and I tend to be rather camera shy. Be it still or video, I don't like to be filmed.

I have to tell you, having never seen myself on a video in a very long time, never mind that this one features me and only me, viewing interview was alternately funny, laughable, and cringe-inducing. I don't know if it was because I was nervous but I noticed that I twitch a lot. My eyebrows and my head tilt at odd angles, my lips twist into weird shapes, facial expressions are bizarre, and my hands are rubbing my face at odd intervals. Geez. My buddy filming the whole thing made a few observations at my expense, as friends are apt to do. Fortunately, that was just the rehearsal video and I think I tempered most of my twitching for the real thing but still... to my eyes it was just ugly. I'm starting to wonder if I'm like this in real life. Ugh.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 11:03 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Having just completed my latest book, Tom Clancy's "The Bear and the Dragon" - all 1137 pages worth - after going through a series of his books earilier in the year; "Debt of Honor," "Executive Order", and "Rainbow Six" I have to say, I'm really tired. It never occured to me that reading could be such a strenuous ordeal. Or maybe I'm just getting old and my brain is breaking down in a manner similar to that of my body after a rigorous day of sports.

Clancy has always been a favorite author but I took a break from reading his books for the last year and a half or so just because I wanted to see what else was out there. I read an excellent book called "Wild at Heart," some of Dennis Miller's "Rants" series, and reaquainted myself with Elmore Leonard. It was all great reading but I felt like I needed to get back to my old favorites and there were still a few books of Clancy's that I hadn't read yet so I started early May with "Debt of Honor" and it concluded recently with "B&D." Funny thing though, When I read the last sentence of that book, I closed it and let out a huge sigh, the likes which I usually only reserve for after a strenuous game of tennis or something. I purchased his latest book, "Red Rabbit" which is something of a prequel to his Jack Ryan series but at this moment I'm content with letting it gather dust on my bookcase. I'm just gonna go watch "Alias" or something, get my spy drama fix that way.

I am getting old ;)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:54 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I was at the grocery store recently buying some stuff for a potluck dinner. I get to the checkout line and there's this semi-attractive girl in front of me. As I get in line she gives me a quick look, then looks in my cart, and then says to me "you're single aren't you?" Somewhat surprised since strangers (women) don't typically talk to me, I simply nod and reply "what is it, do I shop like a typical single guy?"

"No," she answered. "It's cuz you're ugly."

...

Bob Hope, thank you for so many years of laughter. You'll be missed.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:51 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Speaking of wine and steak, I just got home from a very nice dinner at Fleming’s Steakhouse. A good buddy of mine was in a very celebratory mood since in the last two weeks, he got a new job and was instrumental in landing a lucrative client for his new employers. I hadn't seen the guy in a few weeks so I figured some place like Friday's, Zazou or something but he suggested Fleming's and I was game since neither of us had been there and I hadn’t had a good steak in a while.

It's a steakhouse similar in style and prominence (and price) to more renowned places like Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris and a distinct notch above Black Angus and The Outback. We figured as much when we pulled up and discovered valet parking was five dollars (!?!). We self parked. It was your typical steakhouse atmosphere: dark, slightly noisy, and generally festive. We put our names in and waited at the bar while waiting for our tables. I got a beer (Stone IPA) and he got a Long Island Iced Tea and over drinks we lamented the current state of the Dodgers. We got to our tables and started off with wine. A very nice bottle of... I forget if it was Cabernet of Chardonnay... called Trilogy. A California wine, 1999 vintage. Whatever, it was great and complimented our steaks perfectly.

What wasn't great, for me anyway, was the price tag on that bottle since it comprised of more than 50% of the total bill, which itself wasn't cheap since we ordered a few sides and a dessert as well as a couple of sizable steaks. I had enough to cover my half (barely) but he happily footed bill after my admittedly weak protests. "Don’t worry" he said. "It's not my money either." If you knew us, that statement would make perfect sense.

Oh yes, the steaks. We were both quite hungry. He had a 20oz. rib steak while I ordered the 22oz. porterhouse. What I really wanted was the 40oz. porterhouse for two though in my case it would have been just for me, being as it I often eat enough for two. You know, just to see if I can finish it on my own. As it was, the 22oz. was sufficient. What came out was a beautifully cooked slab of meat and that first bite was a large chunk of tender, succulent, mouthwatering steak. I ordered it charred rare and it was served just so, that peppery crust perfectly complimenting that red, juicy, beefy interior. It was a damn good cut of beef. After finishing off my steak, a big salad, and some potatoes I was actually still hungry (yes, I’m a freak). I found it reassuring in that it gave me reason to believe I might actually be able to polish off a 40 ounce-er. It was great meal.

Of course, that our server was an attractive, amiable blonde didn't hurt the mood at all =)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:53 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I had a rather interesting culinary experience last weekend. I was dining with some new friends who are apparently wine connoisseurs. The host had a very well stocked wine fridge and one of the guests brought a couple of bottles as well, so it seemed there was something for everyone. So naturally when I arrived and was asked what I'd like to drink, I say "beer." I had a Grolsh Amber Ale, which was a nice, refreshing beer after what was a fairly hot and muggy day. He also cooked up meatballs, gourmet sausages, veggies, bread, and salsa. Once my beer was finished I grabbed a wine glass to see for myself what the big deal was.

Now those of you who know me know that I approach beer in manner similar to a sommelier approaches wine. Okay, maybe not quite that fanatically or discerningly but there is still some degree of snobbery involved. Any major brands – Bud, Miller, Coors – and Corona for that matter, is considered swill. I tend to avoid anything containing the word "Lite" (If I want to drink water, I'll drink water). I’m partial towards the darker brews, especially the stuff that comes from Europe. Not to say America can’t make a good beer but you have to look to the smaller breweries. Fortunately Southern California happens to be the home of many a fine microbrew.

However, I am aware that for the most part, beer is a blue-collar beverage which suits my blue-collar tastes but I’m always up for trying something different. I've had wines before but mostly at the behest of my more accomplished wine drinking friends. And usually with a nice meal. They started off the night with a couple of bottles of Pinot, which according to them were better examples of that particular variety. I couldn't tell you their names because I don’t remember and quite frankly I had trouble pronouncing them even when I had the bottle in front of me. For that matter, I couldn't tell you the difference between a Pinot, a Merlot, or a Chardonnay. My initial impressions? I didn't hate it. It's not like I had a point of reference to work with since it's been a while since the last time I had a drink... of anything. It might have been better if I had nice steak to go with it. Everyone else said they were good wines so I’ll take their word for it.

After that we finished with a couple of samples of Port wine, a much sweeter dessert wine. It probably helped that we had some excellent cheesecake to accompany it but I really liked that glass of Port. That surprised me since I really don't have that much of a sweet tooth but this stuff was great. Again, I can’t remember what it was called.

It was a fun evening but I don't think I’m gonna become a wine expert anytime soon. But at least I expanded horizons a little.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:25 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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As if I'm not enough of a (closet) nerd/geek type already, being a fan of sci-fi, Lord of the Rings, cult movies, etc (though I haven't quite sunk to being into things like role-playing games or anime... Robotech does NOT count, dammit). I just spent the last 20 minutes looking and past Word of the Days on dictionary.com. And I enjoyed it, a little too much. Not only that I knew more than half the words. You wouldn't think so but I find myself at odds with this. So any of you knuckle-dragging, slack-jawed mouth-breathers who were bullies in high school should feel free to drag me out to the parking lot and pummel my body until it becomes lifeless to the point where you see my very soul rise out of my mangled corpse. After which you can grab that soul by the scruff of its neck and treat it to a series of open-handed slaps. No wait, I might enjoy that.

Geez, I have no idea what the hell I'm writing. Kids, don't blog after midnight. This is the kind of crap that happens. =)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:34 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Piggybacking off that last post, one blues guitarist I especially like is Stevie Ray Vaughn. It amazes me how much raw feeling this guy can express with six strings and a plank of wood.

Blues is one of those genres of music that is best when listened to through a set of good headphones while sitting back on a comfortable chair, eyes closed so the only actively working sense is hearing. It isn't that bluesmen are the best or fastest guitar players out there but but each one offers up their own nuance, their own idiosyncratic style. Even if it's something as simple as tone. Albert King's tone is smooth, yet brawny. Buddy Guy has a sharp, raw, cutting sound. B. B. King's tone is thick, heavy with almost a liquid quality to it, if that makes any sense. Every little lick, every muted scratch, every string bend that unlike classical or jazz guitar, just seem to ooze emotion. When Guy sings “Damn Right I got the Blues,” you know it’s true, not just because of his lyrics but you can feel it through his playing. When Vaughn tell you he misses his woman in “Texas Flood” you can’t help but feel his pain, again not just from his lyrics but because the notes he plucks from his guitar conveys his passion so emphatically.

I’ve occasionally made the mistake of getting a little too engrossed with some songs while driving. I distinctly remember this one time I was listening to “Texas Flood” and the solo started right when I pulled up to an intersection. So naturally, turn up the radio, lean my head back, close my eyes and let myself get saturated within those sublime twelve bars… only to be jolted back to reality by some chick behind me who informed me that the light had turned green with a rather vigorous honk. Not that it bothered me, considering the source. She looked like she listened to some boyband crap anyway.

Don’t fear for my safety though, things like that don’t happen that often. You know, as much as I love music and playing guitar, I'm kinda surprised that I've never blogged about this before. Oh well, I guess I'm still a relative neophyte to this whole blog thing.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:59 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I've been listening to a lot of blues lately. Guitar blues and blues-based rock music is something I always enjoyed listening to but I just seem to be really fixated on it lately. Not that I have the blues or anything (no more than you’re typical tormented artist type) but it's just one of those musical phases I go through from time to time. My last phase involved judicious amounts of heavy metal music (Metallica, Van Halen, Soulfly, etc) and before that, guitar virtuosos (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson). A few years ago, I had love affair with female singer/songwriters (Sarah Mclachlan, Jewel, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeuschi). By the way, my U2 phase is something that’s probably going to be lifelong.

Classic blues guitarists like Buddy Guy, Albert King, T-Bone Walker and Chuck Berry have made for particularly great listening. I can think of two reasons I'm drawn to these guys:

1. I've always had a respect for things historical (classic cars, guitars, rock) - at least within the realm of things that interest me - and these guys are a part of music history that influenced many of the styles and sounds of music today.
2. Most blues guitarists are from the South, and like much of the food from the region the music can also be quite comforting.

By the way, the four guys I named above are all black musicians, so those of you who believe I don’t listen to "black music," whatever the hell that means, chew on that :)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:28 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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There are a few blogs I read from time to time and I was just thinking about how those are different this site. There's one I visit just for the photos. Another has photos, reviews, humor as well as blogs. One of my favorites isn't particularly feature-rich but the blogger offers a fairly comprehensive look into their life. It sometimes goes far beyond a typical "what I did last weekend" post and deep into their thoughts and feelings and on occasion, can get unusually existential. Unusual in the sense that it seems like a lot of very personal and private stuff to be sending out on the Internet for anyone to read. At least it seems that way relative to what I feel comfortable sharing on my own blog, and I know I don’t have the temerity to share something that personal. If that’s one thing other blogs seems to have in common, is that the authors do, on occasion, open up considerably more than I do.

It seems in many ways though, my blog is a fair representation of me. Unremarkable upon first glance, kinda funny, frequently difficult to figure out, unable to really get to know unless you take the time to dig into it, and certainly not for everyone. If you haven't read it from the beginning, it's an eclectic collection of thoughts containing random thoughts, movie reviews, commentaries and rants on society and pop culture, to the standard "what I did last weekend." I've often considered writing about some of my struggles, maybe even articulating one of my many personal demons but... no. There was a time in my past where I would wear my heart on my sleeve and that does still hold true somewhat nowadays but my demons are... my demons.

I spent a couple of minutes looking at that last paragraph debating on whether or not to delete it, just because it’s quite a bit more than I’m used to sharing. I decided to keep it up, not entirely sure why but… what the hell.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:34 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I have only eight people on my Friendster list and yet, somehow my network grew to over 65,000 people. Weird.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:54 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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A friend recently asked me a question regarding the slogan for GMC trucks. He asked, rather scarcastically being a Ford guy, "If GMC trucks are supposed to be 'Professional Grade' trucks then what does that say about Chevys?" I replied "they're essentially the same trucks as the GMCs. Chevy just want to maintain its amatuer status so it can compete in the Olympics."

He hasn't talked to me since =)

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 8:10 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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I think I need to figure out some way to get my point/story across when I blog without letting the length of the post grow to such epic proportions. What do you guys think? I mean, I reread some of my stuff and it even tires out. I know I have a tendency to ramble a bit when I talk and my "style" of writing is similar to the way I talk but you'd think the magic of proofreading would help me cut out some stuff.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 4:00 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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At the moment, I'm laughing at the rather scattershot nature of my last post. I was rereading it checking for typos and I couldn't help be amused at how it's barely coherent. Almost as erratic as "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" though not nearly as entertaining.

I went to my first Hollywood premiere last night up at the Mann Westwood Theaters for a screening of "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." It had all the glitz and glamour in all its excrescent glory that one might see at a typical big movie red carpet event. And I couldn't help but notice that there was a deliberate absurdity to it.

We stood in line for about an hour and half thinking we'd be led straight into the theater. The ticket said 6:00 but it was the approximate start time of the festivities. Around 5:45 we were led into some bleachers where we, as enthusiastic spectators, would be on hand to applaud the red carpet walk of the various stars who were there to view and/or promote the film. The nice thing about that was that all bleacher sitters received free T-shirts and the first one hundred of that crowd also received a free pair of T-3 sunglasses in a really cool hard-shell case. Our group was lucky enough to be in that first one hundred. Getting that free stuff made the whole night worthwhile since I dig free stuff. (That and I needed a new pair of sunglasses anyway.)

The limos started rolling in around 6:20 (actors seem to always be fashionably late.) In my two-plus decades of living in Los Angeles, I've never had any real star sightings so this was kinda cool. Ah-nuld and his lovely wife was there, of course, as well as other celebrities like Tia Carrere, Robert Duvall, Blue Man Group, that one guy from "Saved by the Bell," what's her name from "Melrose Place," and Kenny G (?!?). I played along and applauded some celebrities but I was surprised at how blasé I was towards to whole thing, considering how much I enjoy the movies. That was until Kristanna Loken, the actress who plays the latest Terminator cyborg, arrived. Oh... my... GAWD (female readers, feel free to skip to the next paragraph). She was just utterly, completely, stunningly beautiful. And in a classy, elegant, non-slutty way. I know how film and photography might conceal flaws but she was just, plain gorgeous in real life. My fetish for brunettes was completely forgotten for the next few hours.

The movie itself? Surprisingly good considering the rumored production problems and the complete non-presence of "Terminator" progenitor James Cameron. But it wasn't good relative my low expectations. I found this to be a solid, well-directed action movie. The action scenes were excellent and the story conveyed the need to continue this story without feeling forced or contrived. Having played this role twice before, Arnold wears this role like a supermodel in a catsuit. The lovely Ms. Loken was good in a limited role requiring little more than roaming the screen killing people while looking simultaneously menacing and alluring. She had exactly two facial expressions through the film: impassive and less than impassive. Determining any real acting ability or lack thereof would have to wait until later films. Everyone in our party seemed to have liked the film and agreed that had we paid to see it, we wouldn't have felt burned. Crowd reaction was generally positive and there were quite a few who clapped at the end of the movie.

I gotta tell ya. It was a fun night.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:14 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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