Aaron Riveroll | Photographer

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.

I can’t stop eating them! Someone left a bag on the counter…and everytime I walk by, I take a couple. For the love. They are just so darn chocolatey!