It’s raining outside. Don’t ask me why, but I love this kind of weather. It’s probably because it’s actually weather…in San Diego!

Today, I bought my lunch and then pulled into a parking lot and ate in my car. The sound of the rain as it hit my car was soothing. And it’s getting cooler and crisper too. I usually am not one for colder weather…if I had my druthers, I would wear shorts and flip flops all the time. But the coolness sort of reminds me of growing up when I lived back home; when weather was a little cooler in the fall. Nostalgia.

Those were some good times. Simpler times.

Well folks, if you have viewed my site recently, you will notice that it looks little different. And if you know me at all, you know that even though I don’t like change, I get tired of things really fast. So I thought it was time to give my site a new look. So how do you like it? Let me know! So far, I’ve heard good things…everything from the new flash menu bar to how easy it is to read…give me your feedback; it’s good for me. :)

However, things in my life don’t always go smoothly, so needless to say, my photo gallery (once again) took the hit. But I think this will be good considering that it has forced me to upgrade to Gallery 2.0, which although it’s harder to customize, it has some neat features that older versions didn’t have before. So this might be a good thing. I’m slowly uploading (for the second time) all the photos that were once up…so bear with me. It’s a time consuming process.

And the first gallery that I’m proud to mention is the pics from yesterday’s excursion to Disneyland. Again, I had a blast with Keri, so here is the evidence.

So, here is the end of yet another exciting weekend. It flew by. :(

I am exausted. I slept SO GOOD last night, it’s not even funny. :)

I spent all day at Disneyland yesterday with Keri…good times were had. It had been quite a while since the last time I was there, so it was good to spend the day exploring. It was also my first time at California Adventure, which was pretty fun too. We made some pretty darn good time up there and were at the park before 9. After meeting the Mad Hatter, who let us in to the park, we schemed, got Fast Passes, grabbed some breakfast, and pretty much winged the rest of the day. We hit about everything there was to do and even stayed for the fireworks and Fantasmic! We pretty much closed the park and were on the road a little after midnight. Definitely a day well spent. Photos will be up shortly, that is, after my gallery is back on line.

Anyway, I’m going to spend the day sitting on my butt because I am still tired from all the fun that was had yesterday. Laters.

Well, after watching the swirly red and blue lights from my living room, I decided that they didn’t need my help anymore. The police helicopter left, so I did too.

I went over to my grandma’s house because I heard they had made enchiladas. Just an FYI, my grandma makes the best enchiladas in the world. And being that I was hungry and feeling cheap, I decided to head over and mooch a few enchiladas.

Good call on my part.

Now, it’s time for bed. Dear God, I have to wake up in 5 hours! *gulp*

Oh, and the story about the shooting just appeared on my sidebar. Check it out…

Why is it that I seem to be in the center of chaos? I was just sitting here watching Three Wishes, then all of a sudden a hear police sirens in between the cheers and the roar of the crowd at the Helix High football game. I pay no attention, since sirens are common occurances in the big city…then I hear a few more…and a few more…pretty soon, they are coming from all around. I see three cars with lights fly down University. Then a few more. Easily, there had to have been a over dozen cars converging on the high school and surrounding area.

All of this is going on, mind you, during the fireworks show.

From what I can deduce at this point, it seems there was some sort of incident at the game and the cops are now setting up a perimeter around the area. They need to get everyone out without disturbing the crime scene; I can only imagine that someone might have gotten shot or worse.

I’ll find out the scoop and let you know. After all, a good reporter does that.

**Update**
10:18pm – Well, I just checked with my dad, who I asked to monitor the police frequency, and it appears that it was a gang-related shooting. Sheriff’s deputies, San Diego Police, La Mesa Police, and K-9 units from these agencies have been dispatched to the high school and to this apartment complex on Normal. SWAT is being dispatched, as we speak, to the apartments; seems a woman from the complex approached police and informed them that she had left her apartment unlocked and when she went back to her apartment the deadbolt was locked. So they now believe they have the two suspects in this apartment.

Officers at the high school reported that there were three victims involved. Two are en-route to the hospital; the third, unfortunately, did not make it.

More info to come…

If you’re in San Diego, I’m sure you’ve heard about the dramatic events at an apartment near SDSU involving some innocent sorority girls and a bunch of bad guys with guns.

If you haven’t, look here.

Now, you know I’d be the first one on the scene to help a damsel in distress. But it turns out another nice guy beat me to it…my flat-foot roommate, Danny. He was on-scene, gun drawn, ready for action. Although his account was slightly different than the media’s story, it’s still interesting…and exciting…all at the same time.

Truth is, it wasn’t even at a sorority. Who knows if the girls were even in a sorority? All we know is that they were probably hot…therefore, the word “sorority” makes it all the more dramatic.

Anyway, just thought I would brag on Dan’s behalf. The nerdery continues.

Set your Tivo, VCR or alarm clock… whatever it takes for you to check out Bethany Dillon on CNN Sunday Morning this coming Sunday October 16th at approximately 7:15 CST.

Bethany will be featured in the segment Faces of Faith and will be discussing her young career as well as her participation with Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story and Music Inspired By The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Well, I just got back from lunch; late lunch today. I’ve actually been busy doing stuff…but anyway, talking about work is boring. :)

I decided to try out the Mexican place suggested to me by my good friend, Renee…and I have to admit it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t as greasy (or as cheap) as I was hoping for, but you definitely get your money’s worth in guacamole.

I have ascertained that there are your three basic types of Mexican food. First, you have your high-quality, authentic Mexican food. I’m not sure why they call it authentic, because the cheap stuff you buy at hole-in-the-wall places are made by real Mexicans too. But anyway…so you have your high-quality, aka expensive, stuff. Usually, this is the stuff you will find in Old Town San Diego, or Old Town L.A. for that matter. Or any other “old town” with Mexican roots. So there you have it.

On a slightly lower tier, you have your “fresh” Mexican food – which I dub “Fresca Mexca.” That isn’t a real term, by the way, since I just made it up. But feel free to use it freely. This is your Mexican grill-type stuff. Usually, the ingredients are a little fresher, and the taste, if you will, is not-quite-Mexican. This is what I ate today…at El Portal Mexican Grill. It’s good, but not quite what I’m used to. Also on this tier, you will find Baja Fresh and Rubio’s.

And finally, last but not least, you will find your mami and papi shops which are usually a 5 by 5 square foot room in the middle of the seediest part of town. They actually make California burritos, which only cost like 3 and a quarter and are about the size of a small child. Their salsa burns going in and coming out. And they are usually open all night. Their quesadillas are dripping with grease and packed with cheesy goodness. This, my friends, is Mexican food. I’ve been really craving a good trip to Adal’s lately.

In my humble opinion, the good stuff is either the really expensive stuff or the really cheap stuff. Everything in between is questionable. And the best items you can only find at certain places (each entree is unique and each restaurant has their specialty). Stay tuned for a FFM revolving around one of my favorite things: Mexican food.

Although, I’m Mexican…so it’s just food to me.

Never believe a manager when they tell you, “This is going to be a short meeting.”

It never is.

Now that my hour-long “15-minute” meeting is over, I think I’m going to get some lunch.

Reluctantly, I went to Del Taco for lunch today. Yeah, I know what you are thinking…

Del Taco is about one step down from Taco Bell, which isn’t great either…but when you overlook the fact that neither of them could actually be called “Mexican food,” you forget how bad it actually is. I still haven’t found a decent Mexican joint in Mission Valley, so if you know of any (other than Sombrero), please let me know!

But anyway, I move on…I ordered a Mucho Macho Grande Burrito combo and I “Macho Sized” it. Now, for those who have not had the pleasure of eating at Del Taco, let me just say it’s a treat; it’s the only place where you can get tacos, burgers, shakes, and crinkle-cut fries all at the same stop. There is something wrong with that.

Now, I did not realize the ramifications of “Macho Sizing” my combo. Sure, I knew that it would include an upgrade of some sort, perhaps a larger beverage and maybe an increased amount of fries. But imagine my surprise when the gal pulled a large beverage cup and filled it to the brim with crinkle-cut fries. Don’t get me wrong, I like potato just as much as the next guy…but, damn!

There were some potatos that did not get eaten. And the burrito was very grande indeed.

And another thing…I have a great deal of respect for “my people.” But when I can’t tune my iTrip in my car because EVERY FREAKING STATION is being used, there is something wrong…especially when most of the stations are in Spanish. SPANISH! The majority of stations are Spanish. What gives? I thought we lived in America. We speaky the English here, so jump on the bandwagon. The mariachi has GOT to go!

Alright, ranting makes me tired. Good night.

I’d like to introduce the newest member of the NGS (who may not be a dude, but she’s still cool).

Ladies and germs, this is Daisy:

**insert “ooohs” and “awwws” here**

Ever since I started working at “The W,” I’ve noticed that the office is set up a little weird. Our whole lending division is spread out on two different floors; meaning, I often have to go downstairs for things. It’s not that I’m lazy or anything like that, it’s just annoying.

It’s fun riding on the elevator, though.

You know the last scene in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? The part where Charlie, Uncle Joe, and Wonka hop in the Wonkavator for the ride of their lives? There’s a secret button at the top of the elevator that, well, I won’t ruin it for people who haven’t seen the movie. But it does something cool when Charlie pushes it.

There’s a button at the top of our elevator too.

I wonder what it does?

Okay, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon with this, so here ya go…today’s survey:
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For the past week, I’ve been trying to convince myself that I am fine…that this brief moment of stupidity I had a week from today was a mistake. I’m also trying to convince myself I’m cool…but I just realized the reason it’s so stifling in here is because my window was closed. What an idiot I am…

Okay, window is now open, and I am still an idiot. You see, not only am I lying about being fine, I’m lying about other things. For instance, carpe diem. Seizing the day. Getting stuff out. Being unlike me. A few weeks ago, I wrote about this very subject…when feelings were at an all-time high and I had been contemplating the prospect of talking about them. I advocated the whole “say what you feel” thing, wanting very much to talk about what was on my mind. Yet, for the past week I’ve been telling myself that it was a mistake.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. The fact is it’s out there. And there isn’t anything I can do to change it. At least I know now. No “what-ifs.” No regrets.

She said something to me; she said we weren’t a good fit. She said a lot of other things too, that I’d rather not dwell on…but maybe she’s right…in a lot of ways we aren’t a good fit. For one, she’s too good for me. But gosh darn it, there are so many ways we are a good fit…and that’s the frustrating thing. It could be so good.

Do you ever get frustrated? I can’t work on puzzles because of my short attention span. Sometimes, I just wish I could jam any two pieces together just to make the puzzle work. I mean, jeez, what does Milton Bradley know anyway? They could have easily made a mistake and put the wrong pieces in the box, in which case I would be totally screwed and wasting my time trying to find the right piece.

I like this line from The Postal Service, which says, “…I have to speculate that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces…”

I may be right in thinking we could be a good fit. But something like this can’t be forced. Despite my reasons for thinking it could work, maybe there is something else there. I don’t know. And I may never know. But I guess this is me accepting the fact that it was good to get it out. Knowing is better. Out of all the people that could have kicked me in the crotch, I’m glad it was her.

It’s amazing the clarity and confusion you get after a hot shower.

It’s been a slow email day, which in some ways is good; that just means I don’t get all the spam sex emails or the ads for Viagra. But it also means no one’s writing to me, which is sort of sad. It’s a three-day weekend, so that just means you are probably out and about, doing bigger and better things. And that’s good. :)

So I totally think I should have studied something financial. Or should be doing something in sales. I have no real basis for this realization, other than the fact that I am ten times more qualified to sell something than most of the morons that work in retail. For instance, I go to Fry’s yesterday. Now I realize this isn’t saying much since I think the management at Fry’s have developed this “hire losersâ€? philosophy in which they go out and find the dumbest, sloppiest bunch of doofuses to work in their stores. They pretty much are not even qualified to stand on a piece of parchment to prevent it from blowing away, thus establishing that a paper weight has more value and skill than a Fry’s salesperson. Don’t get me wrong, Fry’s is still the place to get high-quality goods at low prices. But don’t go in there expecting assistance from a salesperson. I asked a dude where their “WiFi locators” were and his response was, “I’ve never heard of that before.â€? I was like, “Uh, okay…â€? realizing that I would have to go it alone on this quest for useless gadgetry. The guy walked off, probably not realizing that I found him to be the most useless individual I had met in a really long time. And that’s saying a lot. A few minutes later, after deducing, pinpointing, and strategizing, I located the aforementioned device – several different types and brands, actually – and all just a few feet away from where I had this conversation with Stupid Salesperson Dude.

Dumb people frustrate me.

That doesn’t even include the time I sold a digital camera to a lady at Best Buy…with the sales guy standing right there. He couldn’t answer a single question the lady was asking; but it was a good thing I was there to pick up the slack and convince her that this was the camera for her. The sales guy marveled, and probably felt pretty useless; and I can’t argue, but he really was.

…and all this to solidify my geeky status. But I could care less.

Last night, my dad and I made a run for the border for some tacos at Taco Bell…and along the way, we utilized my new WiFi locator to source and locate local WiFi networks. There were surprisingly very few where we thought they would be. We drove by the SDSU sororities, though, and along with some girls walking down the street in their underwear (literally, not joking…) we found several hotspots. I guess there’s a dual meaning, there. ;)

I got some prints done at CostCo today. Those people do some fantabulous work. I highly recommend them. Aside from the photographic work I did today, I’m working on video now. Although, I will probably call it quits until tomorrow since I’m pretty much tired. I was able to play a little today and record some stuff, audiowise. I didn’t lay anything down since I was pretty much sucking…and because of the excitement with the new canine in the house…but I’m going to plan some stuff out and record sometime down the road.

Well, this has been a pretty long, useless post. Always a pleasure, though, to share with you the insignificant details of my mundane life. Hope your weekend is exciting.