Don’t get me wrong, people. I’m perfectly happy living the single life. However, I would’ve given anything to come home yesterday to a sweet and caring girlfriend…I need a head massage like nothing else! Yesterday was seriously one of the worst days ever! And to be quite honest, it wasn’t even that bad…just really stressful. Right before I left the office, I looked at my eyes in the mirror. They were red. I thought it had something to do with the amount of stress I had been through…but since I stayed home from work today, I think it might have had something to do with the flu I was coming down with. Oh well. I’m sure glad I have a great family nearby…my grandpa made me soup. I’m not sure if I am well enough to go to work tomorrow since my eyes are still burning, but I do feel a lot better than I did before.

Anyway, I’m going to get back to doing nothing because it hurts too much to do anything. Bye for now.

Here are a few numbers for all you number lovers out there. My Thanksgiving was supurb. My day after Thanksgiving wasn’t too shabby either…

2 – the total number of green bean casseroles I made
4 – the number of cans of green beans used in the making of my casseroles
30 – the number of minutes spent watching the Dallas/Chicago game
21/7 – The final score of the Dallas Chicago game (the Cowboys won. Yee haw.)
210 – the number of minutes spent in a tryptophan-induced coma
2 – the number of plates of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, yams, and stuffing I ate.
3 – the number of turkey sandwiches I ate today from left overs.
1 – not only the loneliest number, but also the number of slices of pumpkin pie I had.

Should be a nice weekend. =)

Seriously, what is wrong with me? Alright, well, you don’t really have to give me an answer, but it sort of makes you wonder. I am, after all, the pathetic nice guy by reputation. But how pathetic does it get? Last night on my drive home, I was sitting at a stop light. I was thinking about a girl. I was wondering why I haven’t talked to this girl in ages. I thought of ways to contact her, to see her again…and then I was painfully reminded that in the past several months, I have already made several attempts to communicate with her, all of which have been ignored. I mean seriously, how busy can a person be?? Is there something so overwhelmingly annoying about myself that people can’t bring themselves to return a call or an email from me?? I’m a pretty busy guy, but I think even I could manage a few seconds to tell someone, “You aren’t worth my time.” At the very least, that would be nice.

But it sucks that being friends with someone, or wanting to be friends with someone, has to take so much effort on my part.

Let’s once again look at the girl who never returned my calls. She was cute and she was funny, but let’s face it, she dissed me. And even though she’s now dating the second largest city in Texas, I still think about her still have sad feelings. I keep thinking how cool it could have been with her…even though the voices in my head tell me she isn’t worth it. Those voices seem to always talk some sense into me, after the patheticness sets in. The simple fact that I think about her is pathetic; wouldn’t you think I would have gotten over her by now? I don’t think it’s the thought of her, necessarily. I think it’s the thought of me making all of these efforts to think of people – to write, call, IM, fax, message via carrier pidgeon – but yet I don’t seem to be worth the reciprocal efforts.

I guess the bottom line is that I am pathetic. I am a pathetic nice guy because I put so much effort into keeping people around that really don’t care; a pathetic nice guy on the verge of giving up. At times, it makes me wonder who my friends really are. And it makes me wonder if all the efforts, thoughts, and worries I have are worth my time.

And then I think to myself, “everything is bigger in Texas.” Yee haw.

Well, I have visions of turkey, mashed potates, and green bean casserole dancing around in my head. Oh boy, I can’t wait. =)

I haven’t written in a while, so I thought I would share some random thoughts:

First, we got new computers at work last week. They are pretty slick. Here’s a pic…

Second, last week was homecoming at PLNU. Rooby spent a couple nights at the NGS compound and we were able to hang out with Russ, Raquel, and Renee. Went out to Miquel’s and then saw the Incredibles (really cool movie, by the way). Anyway, some good times, but I wish I could have participated in more activities. I missed a cool dinner with DPS folk, the Fall Musicale, and the MusicAlumni reception to name a few. I guess I was sort of in an anti-homecoming mood. But there’s always next year. Hopefully.

Vhon’s last day at UBOC was yesterday…it was sad. We took her to Black Angus on Monday. Meat is good.

I was driving home last night and while I was sitting at a stop light, I had some random frustrating thoughts on the nice guy complex and girls that are bad news…but I’ll share that later.

Ok, I’m going now. more later.

You gotta be kidding me!

MSNBC – New DMV Head Supports Taxing Motorists By The Mile

Just a little post to say that my music section is finally up. I mean, being a music guy and all, I thought some of you may want to hear what I sound like…or what I sounded like in the past. Some of these recordings are as recent as a few months and as old as 6 years. I may put a few clips of choirs I’ve been in as well, but right now I thought I’d share some solo work.

Enjoy.

…to the cute girl at Jamba Juice.

Kari, thanks for the free power-sized Mango-A-Go-Go. I know the registers weren’t working, but I’m also certain that my irresistable charm and overwhelming machismo also had something to do with it. Most girls can’t resist themselves…and you exercised great self-control. ;)

Mmmm, it’s so tasty!

My first Friday this week was pretty good. Ended up hitting Olive Garden with Brian for dinner…the Chicken Vino Bianco was exquisite. Then, we met Megs (who’s back in SD this weekend…yay!), Deanna and Evan (whom I haven’t seen in eons), and Brian’s Sister, Kathleen, for a round of drinks and some eats at Bennigan’s in Mission Valley. Good times….really good to see everyone. It was entertaining to hear Evan’s Marine stories, Deanna’s teaching stories, and Megan’s office stories (aaah, Office Space!).

Later, Brian and I schmoozed with Kathleen and her roommates and snagged some videographic entertainment for today (since we had the day off) and then hit the Living Room for some coffee beverages. All in all, a fun evening.

Here are some photos. Enjoy!

It’s a dangerous job, but someone’s gotta do it.

I guess this contradicts my whole “office job” theory.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation — Guns, traffic accidents claimed most police officer lives in 2003, FBI says

It’s all my dad’s fault. Well, not entirely. A few months ago, my dad got me hooked on watching ER…and now, it’s my new favorite TV show. It’s unfortunate that it took me 9 years to figure it out. It really is amazing. It’s not just a bunch of doctors running around (well, actually it is…), but it’s so much more. And not just the stories…but the way they tell the stories. Like tonight’s episode when Carter (Noah Wyle) goes to Africa to find Dr. Kovac…the story is told in a “back and forth” sort of way; showing current scenes and then showing the past in incremental, chronological order (not sure if that makes sense at all…I guess you just have to see it). But it made the story work. Or there was the episode “Night and Day” which kept flip flopping back and forth between night and day. Then there are the real-time shows and of course the live shows that they did. Very well written show…and it’s funny how wrapped up in the character’s lives you get…luckilly, I watch two episodes a day (thank the Lord for DVR and TiVo) and then Thursday night’s new episodes…not to mention an episode each on Saturday and Sunday nights. I’m obsessed.

But to make a longer story even longer, that is one reason I stayed up late…but I guess it figures, since I can’t seem to make myself go to sleep. So, I thought I would write a bit. Aren’t you glad?? *smile*

I guess I will write about another TV show that has got me hooked. Every Sunday night, my grandma and I sit down and watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC. Now, I used to be in to all those home improvement shows like Trading Spaces and While You Were Out…and while these shows are interesting to watch from a design standpoint, they can get a little old and repetitive. Extreme Makeover is different.

I find myself emotionally challenged each week. I feel heartstrings being tugged on. And I’m a dude. I may enjoy chick flicks, but by no means am I a chick, which means I cry when the situation warrants it. I seriously find myself on the verge of tears when I watch this show. The design team, a group of extremely talented people led by an energetic Ty Pennington from Trading Spaces, find a family each week and demolish, rebuild, and design a house for them. But here’s the kicker…these families are special. One show found a father in Oceanside raising his family in a house far-small-for his 8 children. His wife had passed away four years earlier and he was doing his best. Another show found a family with a daughter who was “allergic” to the sun. Tonight’s show featured a family with an autistic son…the parents, of whom, were deaf. These families hope, pray, wish for a new life…and they make it happen on this show. They send the families off on a vacation, which gives the design team seven days to tear down the house, build, design, decorate, and furnish a brand new home. And the end result is a beautiful thing. Not only do they raise a house in seven days…they take into consideration the needs of each family. And with the help of hundreds of friends, partners, contractors…they make dreams come true. Sound cheesy? Perhaps. But it is proof positive that there are still good people in this world…and that is an inspiring thing to see.

And on that note, I think I’m officially going to go to bed now. Thanks for staying up with me during my insomnia. I’ll see you later.

Tonight, I saw one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. I went with Brian and his sister, Kathleen, and saw Garden State. Excellent film. The movie starred Zach Braff from the TV show Scrubs (who also wrote and directed the movie) and the insanely adorable Natalie Portman, who plays the quirky and colorful Sam. Brian has this thing for Natalie Portman. I can see why. I think I sort of fell in love with Natalie tonight too. Well, I’ve always thought she was cute…from her role in Star Wars. She just has this sweet innocence about her that is so magnetic. She is the kind of girl that draws you in, gives you warm fuzzies…makes you feel good. Her smile and her cute mannerisms also add to the whole package. I know nobody is perfect, but Natalie Portman is about is close to perfection as you can get. And she played this part as perfect as could be. She was incredible in this role.

This movie had so many different themes packed into it, but I thought it was very well done. It has funny parts, darker parts…I’m finding that I like this particular style…this darker tone. Sort of reminds me of Lost In Translation. I also loved the soundtrack and thought that it added quite well to the overall tone of the movie.

One of the themes that hit home for me was the concept of home. Braff, who plays Andrew, comes home for his mother’s funeral. There are a lot of underlying struggles that are revealed about the movie … and Sam shows him not to be afraid of confronting these struggles head on.

Sam and Andrew are talking and Andrew makes this comment that I have personally felt for the last several years:

You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn’t really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone…

You’ll see when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it’s just gone. And you can never get it back. It’s like you get homesick for a place that doesn’t exist. I mean it’s like this right of passage, you know. You won’t have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start. It’s like a cycle or something. I miss the idea of it. Maybe that’s all family really is. A group of people who miss the same imaginary place.

I don’t talk a lot about personal things … it just isn’t in my nature. I keep a lot of things inside, and “deal” with it on my own (or fool myself into thinking I am dealing with it). Deep down inside, I know that probably isn’t the best way of handling stuff. But what can I say, it’s hard to change. I miss my family. I miss yesterday … the way things used to be. You can’t never get that back.

I heard that my sister got in a car accident about a week and a half ago during the rainy weather … completely totalled her car. Thank God she is okay… but then the what-ifs start popping in my head. What would I have done if the situation was more… tragic. I just don’t know. And quite frankly, I’m glad I didn’t have to find out. I also found out that my grandmother (my mom’s mom) passed away a few weeks ago. I have never been close with my mom’s side of the family … but feelings of sadness are there because it is family. It makes you realize the common bond you have with each other. And sometimes I miss that bond and regret the fact that I am so stubborn sometimes. But, I digress …

It’s starting to feel a lot like winter. Typically, summer is my season of choice … but I have to admit I am starting to like the cold. Brian, Kathleen, and I also hung out a bit at Claire de Lune and I got my Funky Monkey. All is right with the world.

And with that, I bid you farewell. I am off to bed. Goodnight.

My new, new love.

I have been eyeing digital SLRs and I’ve decided that even though I would like speed (thus, a Nikon D70), I think I’m going to go with a Canon…the Canon EOS 300D, to be exact. They are coming out with a limited edition all black body (the regular edition is a gray body). I think this is an outstanding, affordable camera. I just might buy it.
Black-bodied Canon Digital Rebel (EOS 300D): Digital Photography Review

I’ve posted a few pictures from Sonja Benson’s recital last Friday. I was too busy shooting video, or else I would have taken more pictures. But…she still looks amazing. Peter’s quite dashing as well.

See the album

Danny. He goes to work…carries a badge…a gun…wears a bullet proof vest…deals with scum and low lifes. Yet, I would contend that my job is much more dangerous.

I think I had mentioned before that I was the blue bin monitor at work. What this involves is me collecting the paper trash from everyone’s recycle bin (a.k.a. the stuff we shred with confidential information on it) and put it in the locked, secure bin. Yesterday, while cramming paper into my bin, I sliced my left hand between the pointer and middle fingers. IT HURTS! Well today, not only did I slice the same spot, I gave myself a papercut on my right pinkie finger. I’ve gotten my share of papercuts on the job…but wow, it’s ridiculous. I don’t think Danny has gotten hurt once.

This just goes to show you an office job is definitely more dangerous than being out on the street. And those brokers are tough too!

Being from San Diego, I have never been into winter games. I always watch the summer olympics, but never the winter. I’d much rather spend a day at the beach than a day on the slopes. So it’s not a big surprise when I say I have never been to a hockey game before. Tonight was my first.

Danny, Susan, and I spontaneously decided to catch a Gulls game at the Sports Arena tonight…and I must admit, from the time the game started, I was really into it. It’s fast action chaos…and it’s great! There were quite a few fights…there were was a life-sized sea gull…the game tied and went into sudden death overtime…and then there was a shootout. We were victorious against the Aces of Alaska. And because of our win, we won free entry into tomorrow nights contest.

My favorite part, of course, was not the gull nor the fights. Not even the win. It was the Zamboni. And maybe the remote controlled blimp. I’m a simple guy, it doesn’t take much to impress me. I remember playing the OLD school NES version of Ice Hockey with my dad. Those were some good times, even though my dad always creamed me.