Wow - I don't really know what I'm getting myself into with this! My Summer Movie Preview contained a list of 25 movies (and a Wildcard - which later became a part of the Top 25) and a brief explanation for its status in the list. Well. . . The end of the year is always a huge time for movies (not unlike the Summer) but what's different about them is their substance. The "good" movies come out between September and December. This is Oscar Season. While some of these movies on the list coming up will definitely be heard from come next March and April (the time of the Academy Awards), some certainly will not. You see, there are pure pleasure (comedies, horror films) movies coming out soon too. And I was honest with this list. As you'll see. What will follow is my list of the TOP 40 (yes, you read that right) films that are being released betweeen September and the end of the calendar year. I desire to see all of these films for one reason or another (which I will explain) although I feel I need not explain myself (ha ha - but I will anyway). This will be good practice for the future Journalist, I think. Also, you will find links (if you haven't noticed, I figured out how to place HTML links in my posts - click and you get sent somewhere else) to movie information pages and trailers. This is a service I am providing you. I'll be expecting payment via a check or cash in the mail. Thanks :D - - (That's a joke ladies and gents) - -
Ok folks. Here we go!!! (And just so you know, you're gonna need QUICKTIME to view a vast majority of the trailers. So go download it!)
40. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (12/22) This film is one of those classic family comedies that releases right around Christmas to get the whole family to come out to the movies. Ben Stiller stars in this movie as a security guard at The Museum of Natural History that comes to life after the doors are closed. Robin Williams also shows up as Teddy Roosevelt (yes, our former President - former as in really long ago ha ha) and for that reason alone, this movie makes it on the list. The teaser shows a T-Rex skeleton chasing Stiller through the halls of the museum. I've seen this before. It's called JURASSIC PARK. And then the dinosaur was real, not just bones. O well - can't blame 'em for trying! TRAILER
39. OPEN SEASON (09/29) Another in the long line of animated animal movies (there will actually be two more appearing later on in the list too). This one stars Martin Lawrence (who, I believe has a great voice for animation) as a bear who has grown up in a house and must make it out in the wild for once. He gets help from a small, fast-talking deer voiced by none other than Ashton Kutcher. I know, once you've seen one animated animal movie, you've seen them all (read: THE WILD, MADAGASCAR, BARNYARD) but this one has a little bit more to offer, including the great voices of Patrick Warburton (Kronk from EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE) and Jon Favreau (Vince Vaughn's buddy from SWINGERS, MADE, and THE BREAK-UP). TRAILER
38. CHARLOTTE'S WEB (12/20) Another remake of a classic family movie. This one is a live-action version of the animated film from 1973. Young Dakota Fanning is jumping into the role of Fern, the young girl who befriends a pig named Wilbur and family fun ensues. The voice cast is quite extraordinary actually: Julia Roberts (Charlotte, the angelic spider), Steve Buscemi (Templeton, the trouble-making rat), and various other animals voiced by the likes of Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford, John Cleese, Andre Benjamin, Reba McEntire, Kathy Bates, and even Oprah Winfrey! The giant, high-class cast, as well as the fact that it's a new version of an old favorite (I remember watching it many times at my grandma's house) film make this one worth going to (plus, I know for a fact that Heather will want to see it). TRAILER
37. THE BLOOD DIAMOND (12/15) Not a lot is known about this movie, especially since there is no trailer out yet. What I do know is that Leonardo Dicaprio (always a good bet with Leo) is starring as a South African mercenary in this Edward Zwick (THE LAST SAMURAI, GLORY) film. Djimon Hounsou (of GLADIATOR fame) costars along with Jennifer Connelly (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, HULK) in what should be a pretty intense visit to 1990's Africa. Head here for more information, if you want, but I'll be there at some point just because I really like Dicaprio. Hell, I've seen that Titanic boat sink to the bottom of the Atlantic a few times, so this is no stretch for me.
36. THE BLACK DAHLIA (09/15) Supposedly a part of the novel series that brought us what would become the film L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, this movie appears to be a tasty film noir attempt. I absolutely love detective/crime movies (probably my favorite genre) and this one appears like it has the potential to be one of the better ones. A great cast in this one as well (Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart - who recently astounded audiences in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING - Hillary Swank, and Scarlett Johansson) will bring me to see if the crime gets solved right (it usually does, right?). Also, Brian De Palma, the director, has been known to create some great great films (THE UNTOUCHABLES, SCARFACE) so we'll see if he can strike gold again. TRAILER
35. JET LI'S FEARLESS (09/22) In what is supposed to be (it's in the tagline, so it better be) Jet Li's final martial arts epic, Li plays (what else?) a guy who defies a country with his kick ass fighting skills and inspires a whole lot of people. Or something like that. It looks like the fight choreography (done by famous choreographer Yuen Wo Ping) is really good, as is always true with Li's movies. I could see myself waiting for this one on DVD, but it still makes an appearance because it's (again, maybe) Jet Li's last martial arts movie. We'll just see about that. . . TRAILER
34. EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (10/06) Ginormously successful stand-up comedian Dane Cook (who is also my friend on Myspace ha ha) gets his first starring role in this teeny comedy co-starring MTV's own Dax Shepherd (you know him from the first season of PUNK'D or from a comedy called WITHOUT A PADDLE) and Jessica Simpson. Yep, no acting awards will be given for this one! Either way, it's about two workers at a COSTCO (in the film it's KOSTMART I think, but that's what it is) vie for the love of the new employee played by Simpson. A strong comedic supporting cast (Andy Dick, Harland Williams) plus the involvement of Cook makes me wanna cough up my five dollars for this one. TRAILER
33. FAST FOOD NATION (10/20) A possible compaion piece to this year's THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (the best movie, in my opinion, of the year so far), it's an adaptation of the widely successful book of the same name. A satirical comedy of sorts, but mostly a revealing drama (not documentary), NATION stars Greg Kinnear (always good for a few laughs) among others in this film by acclaimed director Richard Linklater. If it's half as good as THANK YOU FOR SMOKING is, then it'll be alright in my book. TRAILER
32. THE WICKER MAN (09/01) This horror remake (is there any other kind of horror movie nowadays - - ) stars Nicolas Cage (a man who can do NO WRONG in my book) as a broken down cop (after witnessing the death of a young girl) who goes on the hunt for answers to the questions of the whereabouts to another little girl. The plot may be kinda normal for your usual spook-fest, but the visuals put forth by the trailer are scary in themselves and Cage is a quality actor who can make you believe anything is possible (or believable). It's the first scary movie on this list (with two more to follow) which just goes to show that horror is still in baby! TRAILER
31. THE GOOD SHEPHERD (12/22) Really, what is getting me interested in this one is the cast (Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro). De Niro actually is the man behind the camera in this espionage thriller (his first stint as a director since 1993's A BRONX TALE). Add to the top-notch cast a Christmastime release date, and it has all the makings of a quality end-of-the-year film. No trailer yet, but that could really change this around for this SHEPHERD. I will wait with expectancy to be sure.
30. BOBBY (11/17) A mishmash of stories will be told as Emilio Estevez ("the Mighty Ducks guy" - that's for you ROXBURY fans out there) writes and directs about the last night of former Presidential hopeful and American favorite Robert F. Kennedy. An all-star cast includes Elijah Wood, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Lindsay Lohan, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Christian Slater, and Laurence Fishburne (and will also include small parts for both Estevez and his daddy Martin Sheen). The story of Kennedy's last night is what intrigues me, not the cast (although that helps) or Estevez (meh, I guess that's ok). With a CRASH-like plot, I hope, for Estevez's sake, that it works. If it does, you could see Coach Bombay at the Oscars next year. No trailer yet.
29. TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (11/17) Although I have no prior Tenacious D experience (I have never heard a CD of theirs), I am a huge Jack Black fan. And the thing that makes this one appealing is the fact that he's essentially playing himself (something he does to perfection; see SCHOOL OF ROCK and HIGH FIDELITY if you don't believe me). A truly odd premise, I hope that fans of D will make this one a success and that non-fans (like me) will be introduced to the truly weird, wild, and wacky world of Jack and Kyle in a great way. TRAILER
28. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (12/15) No, I didn't spell it wrong. That's the title of the new Will Smith movie. Is it action-packed? No. Are aliens involved? Nope. What about robots or Martin Lawrence? Neither of them as well. So what could he possibly be doing then? Well Smith is trying to win that Oscar that evaded him when he was nominated for his portrayal of Muhammad Ali back in 2001. It's also a book adapatation and has him playing a struggling daddy (oddly enough to his own son, Jaden, who co-stars in this, his first film) who wants to turn his life around from the poverty that he's in. A possibly inspirational film, it all revolves around Big Willie because there are no other big names appearing (save for Thandie Newton from CRASH and M:I:2). I hope it's successful because I like Will. And I would hate to see him go down in flames, unlike the character he plays (I'm assuming it's a happy ending). TRAILER (You need Windows Media Player here
27. CRANK (09/01) Jason Statham rocks. Straight up. Another starring-vehicle for him gives him essentially the same requirements as always: Look cool. Do dangerous crap. Be buff. Well that's about what this film is. Shoot, I'm just gonna kick back and enjoy the nonsense. No questions asked! TRAILER
26. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS (10/27) Another adaptation from a book, this movie appears to be really quirky and it has the possibility of becoming one of those critic faves that does really well in the writing department come Oscar time. Brian Cox, Annette Bening, Evan Rachel Wood, and Alec Baldwin are all supporting characters to young, up-and-coming actor Joseph Cross who could really make a name for himself here. Watch for this one come March when the nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay come out. TRAILER
25. FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (10/20) Clint Eastwood is back with this story about the guys who raised the flag at Iwo Jima back during World War II. Next year, Eastwood plans to release a companion film about the Japanese soldiers who were around there at that time. Could be interesting. The reason this one is lower is the cast. It's a bunch of younger guys who are trying to show their acting chops. I like Ryan Philippe (CRASH) and Barry Pepper (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN), but Paul Walker (FAST AND THE FURIOUS) and Jesse Bradford (SWIMFAN)? Really? I'm not so sure about that one yet. No trailer yet.
24. LUCKY YOU (10/27) The much-delayed Poker film is finally seeing the light of day. I hope. Eric Bana (MUNICH) stars as a Poker player who runs into all sorts of personal demons at the World Series of Poker when his dad (Robert Duvall), also a professional player, shows up and brings with him all sorts of fun memories. Director Curtis Hanson (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, 8 MILE) has promised that it's not all about Poker, but about people and conflict and all that good stuff. I don't care anymore! I just wanna see it! (It was supposed to come out last year!) TRAILER
23. MAN OF THE YEAR (10/13) What if someone like Jon Stewart ran for President and then actually won? That's what this Barry Levinson-directed comedy asks. Robin Williams (in what appears to be a return to true Robin form) plays the Stewart character and his sidekicks range from Lewis Black (an actual Stewart sidekick) to Christopher Walken (can't go wrong with that casting!). An interesting concept (I myself would probably vote for Stewart if he ran!) and a hilarious group of comedy faves (add Jeff Goldblum into the mix as well) make me really excited to laugh in October. TRAILER (You need AOL Player here)
22. ALL THE KING'S MEN (09/22) The one thing that bothers me about this adaptation of the famous Robert Penn Warren novel (I've actually never read the book, but I've heard it's really good) is the delay in getting it into theatres. It was supposed to come out last December, but was pushed back because it wasn't ready. Hmmm... Either way, Sean Penn, Jude Law, Mark Ruffalo, and James Gandolfini are all here (along with Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, and Patricia Clarkson) to remake the Best Picture winner of the 1949 Oscars. Best of luck Willie Stark. Best of luck. TRAILER (You need Windows Media Player here)
21. DEJA VU (11/24) Denzel Washington (consistently strong acting) in a Tony Scott (crazy visuals and wild ideas) film about a cop who is trying to solve a case while dealing with that feeling that he's been there before. Call me intrigued. TRAILER
THE TOP 20!!!!
20. HAPPY FEET (11/17) A film that Heather is all sorts of pumped up for, I find it amusing as well. It's essentially the animated equivalent to MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, only with comedic efforts. Robin Williams (again!), Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman are all penguins in this different look at the lives of our little tux-wearing friends from the Arctic. The toe-tapping trailer (and Williams' antics) are hilarious, so I'm crossing my fingers on this one. THAT TOE-TAPPING TRAILER
19. HOLLYWOODLAND (09/08) Another crime movie (it's a good season for me!!!) has Adrien Brody searching up and down Los Angeles for the truth about real-life television Superman George Reeves' death. Reeves is played in flashbacks by Ben Affleck (who I really like) and Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins (WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?) are co-starring. An intense drama to be sure, I'm already curious in a whodunit sort of way! TRAILER
18. ROCKY BALBOA (12/22) Number Six. Wow Stallone's old. I wanna see it for that reason alone. (O and I wanna hear EYE OF THE TIGER just once! Is that so much to ask?) TRAILER
17. APOCALYPTO (12/08) Even with all this Mel Gibson-bashing going on, his historical epic is still planning on being released. To me, I don't care. The movie hasn't changed into an Anti-Semitic movie just about Jew-bashing. It's still the same movie he made a year or so ago. The ancient Mayans struggled with internal issues just like we do - isn't that the truth! Although the subtitles could throw me off (I'm not a huge foreign film fan), I'm intrigued. I'll be there Mel! TRAILER
16. THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (09/22) The most recent film made by ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND director Michael Gondry looks just as kooky and crazy as his last movie (he did direct DAVE CHAPELLE'S BLOCK PARTY, but I'm talking about feature films, not documentaries). He'd honestly get me there with the trailer alone! See for yourself: TRAILER
15. THE FOUNTAIN (11/24) A sci-fi epic written and directed by Darren Aronofsky (the acclaimed director of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM and PI) that stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. This movie travels through time from 1600 to 2600 and then back to the present day showing the lives of three different couples (or are they?) all played by Jackman and Weisz. It looks pretty trippy and it's been ready for awhile, but apparently Aronofsky has just been preparing it more. I just saw that it's only 96 minutes long! I don't know about that, though. . . TRAILER
14. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (10/04) The second horror movie on the list (and not the last), this prequel to the 2003 scare-fest has all the makings of another hit. The first one was intense, disturbing, and scary - everything you'd ask for in a TEXAS CHAINSAW remake. This one has all new characters (thank God - no more Jessica Biel!) except for the scary-ass cannibalistic family that wreaked havoc the last time around. Scary stuff. Bonus points for using the same formula on the trailer as they did on the first one (the remake had one of the best trailers ever!). TRAILER (Note: You can only watch this trailer online between 10 pm and 4 am - sorry)
13. BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (11/03) Sacha Baron Cohen (better known as Ali G or as the French NASCAR driver in TALLADEGA NIGHTS) is starring in this film actually titled the above. I will just call it funny! TRAILER
12. JACKASS: NUMBER 2 (09/22) Yep, it's a sequel. The movie no respecting critic would applaud now has another part to it. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't go see it or that I'm excited for it. I am SO EXCITED for this movie, plainly because I know for a fact that I will be laughing at one point or another (but probably both!). You can't deny that! TRAILER
11. CHILDREN OF MEN (09/29) A very interesting, grungy-looking film about the very near future. Clive Owen (an actor who, if he plays his cards right, will be appearing on my list of favorite actors) stars alongside Julianne Moore and the always-great Michael Caine (however, like we've never seen him - he plays a goofy, philosophical hippie; wow that was a redundant description!) in this anti-BLADE RUNNER. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the guy who directed the third HARRY POTTER movie as well as the largely successful foreign film Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, this gritty drama looks really really good. I'm pretty stoked for this one! Basically, women can't have babies anymore and the human race is preparing for extinction. Owen comes across (by way of his ex-wife, Moore) a girl who is pregnant and they must get her to safety to keep our civilization going. Intrigued? I am. TRAILER
O MAN! THE TOP 10!!!
10. A GOOD YEAR (11/08) Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. Yep, I'll be there. Although it's not a sandal epic (like their prior collaboration, you may have heard of it, GLADIATOR), this one looks just as powerful. Crowe plays a wealthy London stock-broker who hears that his uncle has died and left the vineyard, where he had a majority of his childhood, to him. When he goes, of course his life is changed. But does he sell the vineyard and continue on with his wheelin' and dealin' lifestyle? That's why we go to the movies! TRAILER
9. THE HOLIDAY (12/08) A stellar cast (Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Jack Black) makes for a very interesting holiday rom-com (romantic comedy). Two women switch places for the holidays (Winslet from England and Diaz from L.A.) because they're fed up with their present situations. They both meet men (not in their plan) and must deal with the rest that occurs. Law and Black play the love-interests (Watch the trailer and tell me that Jack Black does not look freakin' cool in this movie! I dare you!). Good stuff. TRAILER
8. CASINO ROYALE (11/17) Another JAMES BOND movie? Yep, but not quite. A redux version, if you will, of the entire Bond franchise is in the hands of new Bond Daniel Craig (of LAYER CAKE fame). I, for one, cannot understand all of the griping by the "die-hards" who say that he's no good as James Bond. I think he'll be awesome and I can't wait to see what he does with the role. The film was rewritten by CRASH writer/director Paul Haggis and directed by GOLDENEYE (The only Brosnan Bond film that was any good) director Martin Campbell. A better, grittier Bond is supposed to hit us hard come November. I'm glad that Bond and his martinis are back. And it's Bond, not Blonde (Craig is the first blonde Bond)! TRAILER
7. THE GOOD GERMAN (12/08) Thanks goes out to Entertainment Weekly for showing me more about this one! A black and white movie directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Tobey Maguire, and Cate Blanchett! I'm there! (It takes place in WWII Berlin around the time of a meeting between Stalin, Churcill, and Truman). No Trailer yet.
6. BABEL (11/10) A gritty, CRASH-like drama starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Set in the middle East, this film looks pretty dang intense. If you can only watch one trailer, I would recommend this one because it's hard to explain in words what it all will entail. Good stuff, though. I promise. TRAILER
Well ladies and gentlemen, I've made it to the TOP 5 (and so have you, I hope)! It's been almost three hours since I started this here dealio, so I hope you've enjoyed it thus far. So without further ado, here's the final 5:
5. THE LAST KISS (09/15) My boy Zach Braff is back in a movie written by CRASH writer/director Paul Haggis. This coming-of-age movie is about a guy (Braff) who is in a serious relationship with the perfect woman when he goes through a bit of a crisis and considers going after that flame that he meets at a big get-together (THE O.C.'s Rachel Bilson). Other stories include great actors Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner as well as little bro Casey Affleck in what appears to be a funny/heartfelt/sad/great movie. I have high hopes. Don't let me down there buddy! (Use the Zach Braff link to get to the trailer)
4. SAW III (10/27) Yep. Another SAW movie. This is the third straight Halloween that I will be able to be involved with the sadistic nature of the serial killer Jigsaw. The first two (more the first one than the second one - although the second one's ending was awesome!) blew my mind and I have just the same expectations with this one. The teaser trailer played before THE DESCENT but it has yet to appear online. It looks like it'll offer the same amount of gore, craziness, and just straight-up villainy as the first two. Bring it on!
3. THE PRESTIGE (10/20) This one has all the makings! Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman star as opposing magicians in turn-of-the-century London with the assistance of both Michael Caine and Scarlet Johannson. That would be enough to get me there, but the director is none other than the great Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, BATMAN BEGINS)! For that reason alone, THE PRESTIGE has jumped up multiple stops and I cannot wait to see this movie! TRAILER
2. STRANGER THAN FICTION (11/10) Another Will Ferrell movie? Yeah, I know, the guy does too much, but it appears as though he's picked the right role in this situation. A Charlie Kaufman-type dramedy (in that it explore the inner workings of the human mind), FICTION (directed by FINDING NEVERLAND director Marc Forster) stars Ferrell as Harold Crick, a lowly IRS agent who suddenly begins hearing a woman's voice in his head describing everything that he does. Turns out, it's an author (Emma Thompson) who is writing a novel about one Harold Crick and her novel is actually coming to life in the form of Ferrell's character. Confused? Yeah, well it goes deeper. The author gets the idea to kill off Crick and so he must decide how to get to her before she does so (with the assistance of a philospher/professor played by Dustin Hoffman). He also goes on a journey of his own as he's learning about himself and life and death and all that jazz. I'm very intrigued and I will certainly be going to see this one. TRAILER
Now, for what you've all been waiting for. The Number One Movie of the next four months!
THE DEPARTED (10/06) There are several reasons this film sits as the number one most anticipated movie by yours truly. 1) Directed by Martin Scorsese; 2) It stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Matt Damon as well as Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg; 3) The plot is intense! Dicaprio plays a cop who goes undercover into the Irish mafia while Damon plays a dirty cop who is in cahoots with the Irish mafia - chaos ensues; and finally, the biggest reason that this movie is numero uno, 4) Jack Nicholson plays the head of the Irish Mafia that Dicaprio infiltrates. Yep. Jack is back! The trailer is actually a little iffy with an oddly-placed song, but that's not the movie. This film is gonna be great and I really really can't wait for this one! TRAILER
There you have it you ungrateful foes. Four hours later (once I go back and put all the links in) and I have this piece of information completed. I hope you learned something and I also hope that I introduced some films to you. Happy Movie-Watching!!!
The Rambler
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Two Halves Make A Whole
Ok, so if you wanna read the first half of this here post (well, kinda) then head here first before you read on. Just a precaution. You might get lost in a minute if you don't read that first. Secondly, well, I guess I have no second thought. So. . . On with the post!!!
I left off with George and I seeing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. Well, after we got out of the movie we started looking around at the other screens. You see, this theater that we went to has each movie listed at the door into the screen and also has the time that the next show begins. Well we got out of RICKY BOBBY around 1630 so we started looking for convenient films that we could sneak into. There were no employees to be found, so we figured we'd take the chance. We had our choice between a few films (unfortunately, MIAMI VICE, the film I wanted to see, began about fifteen minutes before we got out of our first film) but we ended up settling on M. Night Shyamalan's new film LADY IN THE WATER. This film, let me tell you straight up, is very, very weird. Some (like a reader responding in this week's Entertainment Weekly) saw it as a much deeper film (or something like that) but I just found it to be exactly what the teaser trailer said it was: "A Bedtime Story. . ." Was it entertaining? Kinda. And is it recommendable? Sorta. If you like Shyamalan's films (or at least some of them, like me) then it certainly won't hurt you. Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard both give convincing performances, even when saying words like "narf" and "tartutic" and "scrunt" however. Well, I guess I can say go see this movie if you have an open mind to experience a film that is different from pretty much everything else out there (well, except for all his other films). So, yeah. (Grade: C+)
After seeing LADY IN THE WATER, we headed back to his aunt's house (that's where he lives with his aunt and high school age cousin) to change into basketball clothes. We then headed to the park where we played basketball for almost two hours. That was fun. From there, we headed back and his aunt got home around the same time. We proceeded to make dinner (really good steak, mashed potatoes, and buttered carrots) and eat that up pretty fast. From there, it was back to the jacuzzi for the continuation of our stories and conversations. His cousin joined us for a lot of the conversation (she's pretty cool for a high schooler ha ha) and we finished around 0100 or so (I can't really remember). We had to get up kinda early on Tuesday morning though because George had to be at work kinda early. We said goodbye and see ya later (either me going back down there or him coming home for a brief amount of time) and then I hung out at the house for just long enough to get ready and whatnot and then I headed out.
I went to BEST BUY first to take advantage of a couple of deals they were having (Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Special Edition DVD'S - I bought SE7EN and MEMENTO - and 3 for $25 - I bought GOOD WILL HUNTING, ROUNDERS, and THE ROCK). From there, I headed south to meet up with the 76 freeway to take me west to Oceanside where Heather's dad works. He lives in San Clemente but his shop (he owns an Auto Body Shop called CARCOA) is in Oceanside. I had called him the day before asking if it was cool if I stopped by for lunch (figuring the attempt would count for something) and he had agreed. So I met him and then him, his wife Claudia, and I went to this French restaurant called Le Passage (I had been there before with them and Heather) for lunch. Lunch was really good and I think that our conversation was pretty good as well. I still get kinda stressed out (well not really stressed out, but nervous) when I am around her dad, so I kinda get a little jovial over a "successful" trip.
So I left there and began the long trek home (the trip took me about 2.5 hours). I got home and didn't feel very good actually. I laid in my bed watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN and then Cy called asking me to come rescue him and his sister Amber from COSTCO. I obliged and met them there and we headed to the Mall. We ate dinner at RED ROBIN (which was ok) and then walked around the Mall for quite awhile. Cy bought some VANS and I bought a couple more bargain-priced movies at GameStop (I bought the JURASSIC PARK 3-pack and THE GAME for a grand total of $17!). We had a good time people-watching and stuff (Amber's pretty funny when it comes to people) and then we left the Mall. We decided to go see a late-night movie (it began at 2140) because on Tuesday night's, the price for a ticket is the same as the matinee price. We went and saw what turned out to be one of the scariest films I have ever seen. THE DESCENT, a British horror film just recently released stateside, is scary, gory, and actually a good movie. Not a whole lot of horror movies are actual good films (read: none) so this one being so intense, scary, and actually a quality film makes it the surprise of the Summer. (Grade: A-) - - O and don't tell anyone, but I slept with my television on that night cuz I was still scared :D
I'm kinda blanking on Wednesday but that night I went over to Cy's and we watched a critically-acclaimed film from this year called BRICK. This was, by far, one of the most quirky films I have ever seen. The dialogue was so over-the-top (no one talks like this!) and the film was quite difficult to follow because of it. I didn't really like the movie. I was quite anticipating the movie because it was supposed to be so good and all and then with all the film noir bits and pieces it was supposed to be great. Well I was unimpressed. It was actually funny in the Unintentional kind of way. Bummer. (Grade: C)
I had to work on Thursday night, and then, obviously, tonight. I have to work tomorrow night also but then I'm off again until next Thursday. Yeah.
Well, I do have more to say (I think there's other things I was gonna say here tonight) but it is indeed 0300 in the morning. That's late (Or early, depending on how you look at it :D ).
- - - "Working hard and being hard at work is not the same thing."
- - - No joke: this quote was the quote to work by tonight at JOHNNY CARINO'S. It was posted by the main computer. Upon reading it a second time, I realized it was kind of a double entendre. Read it again. And think kinda dirty. . . Sorry :D
Goodnight everyone out there (and good morning to the East Coast!),
Late-Night Justin
I left off with George and I seeing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. Well, after we got out of the movie we started looking around at the other screens. You see, this theater that we went to has each movie listed at the door into the screen and also has the time that the next show begins. Well we got out of RICKY BOBBY around 1630 so we started looking for convenient films that we could sneak into. There were no employees to be found, so we figured we'd take the chance. We had our choice between a few films (unfortunately, MIAMI VICE, the film I wanted to see, began about fifteen minutes before we got out of our first film) but we ended up settling on M. Night Shyamalan's new film LADY IN THE WATER. This film, let me tell you straight up, is very, very weird. Some (like a reader responding in this week's Entertainment Weekly) saw it as a much deeper film (or something like that) but I just found it to be exactly what the teaser trailer said it was: "A Bedtime Story. . ." Was it entertaining? Kinda. And is it recommendable? Sorta. If you like Shyamalan's films (or at least some of them, like me) then it certainly won't hurt you. Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard both give convincing performances, even when saying words like "narf" and "tartutic" and "scrunt" however. Well, I guess I can say go see this movie if you have an open mind to experience a film that is different from pretty much everything else out there (well, except for all his other films). So, yeah. (Grade: C+)
After seeing LADY IN THE WATER, we headed back to his aunt's house (that's where he lives with his aunt and high school age cousin) to change into basketball clothes. We then headed to the park where we played basketball for almost two hours. That was fun. From there, we headed back and his aunt got home around the same time. We proceeded to make dinner (really good steak, mashed potatoes, and buttered carrots) and eat that up pretty fast. From there, it was back to the jacuzzi for the continuation of our stories and conversations. His cousin joined us for a lot of the conversation (she's pretty cool for a high schooler ha ha) and we finished around 0100 or so (I can't really remember). We had to get up kinda early on Tuesday morning though because George had to be at work kinda early. We said goodbye and see ya later (either me going back down there or him coming home for a brief amount of time) and then I hung out at the house for just long enough to get ready and whatnot and then I headed out.
I went to BEST BUY first to take advantage of a couple of deals they were having (Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Special Edition DVD'S - I bought SE7EN and MEMENTO - and 3 for $25 - I bought GOOD WILL HUNTING, ROUNDERS, and THE ROCK). From there, I headed south to meet up with the 76 freeway to take me west to Oceanside where Heather's dad works. He lives in San Clemente but his shop (he owns an Auto Body Shop called CARCOA) is in Oceanside. I had called him the day before asking if it was cool if I stopped by for lunch (figuring the attempt would count for something) and he had agreed. So I met him and then him, his wife Claudia, and I went to this French restaurant called Le Passage (I had been there before with them and Heather) for lunch. Lunch was really good and I think that our conversation was pretty good as well. I still get kinda stressed out (well not really stressed out, but nervous) when I am around her dad, so I kinda get a little jovial over a "successful" trip.
So I left there and began the long trek home (the trip took me about 2.5 hours). I got home and didn't feel very good actually. I laid in my bed watching the World Series of Poker on ESPN and then Cy called asking me to come rescue him and his sister Amber from COSTCO. I obliged and met them there and we headed to the Mall. We ate dinner at RED ROBIN (which was ok) and then walked around the Mall for quite awhile. Cy bought some VANS and I bought a couple more bargain-priced movies at GameStop (I bought the JURASSIC PARK 3-pack and THE GAME for a grand total of $17!). We had a good time people-watching and stuff (Amber's pretty funny when it comes to people) and then we left the Mall. We decided to go see a late-night movie (it began at 2140) because on Tuesday night's, the price for a ticket is the same as the matinee price. We went and saw what turned out to be one of the scariest films I have ever seen. THE DESCENT, a British horror film just recently released stateside, is scary, gory, and actually a good movie. Not a whole lot of horror movies are actual good films (read: none) so this one being so intense, scary, and actually a quality film makes it the surprise of the Summer. (Grade: A-) - - O and don't tell anyone, but I slept with my television on that night cuz I was still scared :D
I'm kinda blanking on Wednesday but that night I went over to Cy's and we watched a critically-acclaimed film from this year called BRICK. This was, by far, one of the most quirky films I have ever seen. The dialogue was so over-the-top (no one talks like this!) and the film was quite difficult to follow because of it. I didn't really like the movie. I was quite anticipating the movie because it was supposed to be so good and all and then with all the film noir bits and pieces it was supposed to be great. Well I was unimpressed. It was actually funny in the Unintentional kind of way. Bummer. (Grade: C)
I had to work on Thursday night, and then, obviously, tonight. I have to work tomorrow night also but then I'm off again until next Thursday. Yeah.
Well, I do have more to say (I think there's other things I was gonna say here tonight) but it is indeed 0300 in the morning. That's late (Or early, depending on how you look at it :D ).
- - - "Working hard and being hard at work is not the same thing."
- - - No joke: this quote was the quote to work by tonight at JOHNNY CARINO'S. It was posted by the main computer. Upon reading it a second time, I realized it was kind of a double entendre. Read it again. And think kinda dirty. . . Sorry :D
Goodnight everyone out there (and good morning to the East Coast!),
Late-Night Justin
Friday, August 11, 2006
Half-A-Post
So it's Friday afternoon and I have work in a little under two hours. I'm still reeling (blog-wise) from the whole power outage fiasco from two nights ago. DANGIT!!! I had some good movie review stuff in there too. O well. Let's see if I can (quickly) redo what I had. . .
So going to Murrieta was a lot of fun. I left on Sunday and it took me two hours to get down there (which was actually really good time). George and I went to MULLIGAN'S (a family fun center with Go-Karts, Mini Golf, Laser Tag, and arcade games) along with his fellow employees at Chick-Fil-A. You see, they're closed on Sundays (I believe the founder was religious) so they were having this employee appreciation dealio and I just happened to get in on the fun. We had these bracelets that got us into unlimited games (except arcade games) and we used them quite well. We drove the Go-Karts once (always fun - I finished third because these cheaters bumped me out of first), played one game of Laser Tag (I was third in points on my team - the winning team - and the only ones who beat me were these young kids who acted as base defenders for our team), and George, his friend Ryan, and I played one round of mini golf (I came in second with Ryan winning by one stroke on the last hole). It was actually quite a bit of fun. We also played some arcades, specifically one game called DRAGON PUNCH where you hit a punching bag and depending on how hard you hit (and the angle you hit it at) you get a certain amount of points. Well one guy had gotten the high score (9291) earlier that day and so all of us attempted to beat this high score. I watched as these guys used all their muscling efforts to beat this score but to no avail. I stepped up, finally, and took a whack at it. On my second try, I got my highest score of 9261, just thirty points shy of the high score. I couldn't believe it! Anyways, Ryan finally stepped up and Tai-Chi'd that bag to a score of 9299, which was enough to get us all to walk away.
We left MULLIGAN'S and headed to one of the other guy's houses to play some poker. You know me - if there's a Poker game, I'm there. And I'm there to win. Well, I told myself (and George) that I wouldn't be all "You gotta play the right way" if I went, seeing as I was the guest and all. WELL. . . Yeah it was pretty retarded. So each player (there were 10, and at $10 each, that was a nice pot to the victor) was given 50 chips, each one worth 1. That's right. I was so frustrated. I decided to just wait it out while the other (quite amateirish) players knocked themselves out. Well I got a great hand, went all-in, and got beat by a complete jackass with "Trip 2's" (That means three two's). So, by the request of George, I assisted him in his playing, seeing as I was by far the most experienced player at the table. If George won, he said he would split the winnings with me. Well, all that to say, George won and we both left with $45. It was a good night.
George and I ended up staying up until 0400 in the morning (from 0030-0330 in the jacuzzi) just talking about how things had been for both of us. It's really cool to hang out with George. We get along really well and it's cool to catch up with someone you haven't seen in three months. We slept in til noon (or just about), got ready, and went to lunch (Chick-Fil-A actually; it was my first experience. It was pretty good.) before we went to the movies. The first film we saw was the new Will Ferrell comedy TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. I had pretty high hopes for this comedy, since it was "From the Guys who Brought You ANCHORMAN" and that film is one of my most favorite comedies ever. Well, it made ANCHORMAN become an all-time classic in my mind because RICKY BOBBY was just not that funny. I don't even remember laughing out loud (something I did frequently in CLERKS 2). A lot of the laughs come from cliches, and that kinda pissed me off more. You know that cute little kid who ends up having a wicked tongue? Yeah, there's two of those. You know that stereotypical Southern man who always has a beer in his hand and offers up drunken advice? Yeah, one of those too. Altogether, I would not recommend this comedy, simply because I didn't find it funny. Bummer. (Grade: C-)
Well, because of distractions (the season finale of the WORLD SERIES OF POP CULTURE) and errands (running to the credit union, going to Lenscrafters - more on that later - and taking Caleb to his swim lessons) I will be unable to finish this post right now. However, in hopes of not losing all this good stuff, I'm gonna post it and finish it tonight (very late) when I get home from work. I'll see ya later then!
Working,
JUSTIN
So going to Murrieta was a lot of fun. I left on Sunday and it took me two hours to get down there (which was actually really good time). George and I went to MULLIGAN'S (a family fun center with Go-Karts, Mini Golf, Laser Tag, and arcade games) along with his fellow employees at Chick-Fil-A. You see, they're closed on Sundays (I believe the founder was religious) so they were having this employee appreciation dealio and I just happened to get in on the fun. We had these bracelets that got us into unlimited games (except arcade games) and we used them quite well. We drove the Go-Karts once (always fun - I finished third because these cheaters bumped me out of first), played one game of Laser Tag (I was third in points on my team - the winning team - and the only ones who beat me were these young kids who acted as base defenders for our team), and George, his friend Ryan, and I played one round of mini golf (I came in second with Ryan winning by one stroke on the last hole). It was actually quite a bit of fun. We also played some arcades, specifically one game called DRAGON PUNCH where you hit a punching bag and depending on how hard you hit (and the angle you hit it at) you get a certain amount of points. Well one guy had gotten the high score (9291) earlier that day and so all of us attempted to beat this high score. I watched as these guys used all their muscling efforts to beat this score but to no avail. I stepped up, finally, and took a whack at it. On my second try, I got my highest score of 9261, just thirty points shy of the high score. I couldn't believe it! Anyways, Ryan finally stepped up and Tai-Chi'd that bag to a score of 9299, which was enough to get us all to walk away.
We left MULLIGAN'S and headed to one of the other guy's houses to play some poker. You know me - if there's a Poker game, I'm there. And I'm there to win. Well, I told myself (and George) that I wouldn't be all "You gotta play the right way" if I went, seeing as I was the guest and all. WELL. . . Yeah it was pretty retarded. So each player (there were 10, and at $10 each, that was a nice pot to the victor) was given 50 chips, each one worth 1. That's right. I was so frustrated. I decided to just wait it out while the other (quite amateirish) players knocked themselves out. Well I got a great hand, went all-in, and got beat by a complete jackass with "Trip 2's" (That means three two's). So, by the request of George, I assisted him in his playing, seeing as I was by far the most experienced player at the table. If George won, he said he would split the winnings with me. Well, all that to say, George won and we both left with $45. It was a good night.
George and I ended up staying up until 0400 in the morning (from 0030-0330 in the jacuzzi) just talking about how things had been for both of us. It's really cool to hang out with George. We get along really well and it's cool to catch up with someone you haven't seen in three months. We slept in til noon (or just about), got ready, and went to lunch (Chick-Fil-A actually; it was my first experience. It was pretty good.) before we went to the movies. The first film we saw was the new Will Ferrell comedy TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. I had pretty high hopes for this comedy, since it was "From the Guys who Brought You ANCHORMAN" and that film is one of my most favorite comedies ever. Well, it made ANCHORMAN become an all-time classic in my mind because RICKY BOBBY was just not that funny. I don't even remember laughing out loud (something I did frequently in CLERKS 2). A lot of the laughs come from cliches, and that kinda pissed me off more. You know that cute little kid who ends up having a wicked tongue? Yeah, there's two of those. You know that stereotypical Southern man who always has a beer in his hand and offers up drunken advice? Yeah, one of those too. Altogether, I would not recommend this comedy, simply because I didn't find it funny. Bummer. (Grade: C-)
Well, because of distractions (the season finale of the WORLD SERIES OF POP CULTURE) and errands (running to the credit union, going to Lenscrafters - more on that later - and taking Caleb to his swim lessons) I will be unable to finish this post right now. However, in hopes of not losing all this good stuff, I'm gonna post it and finish it tonight (very late) when I get home from work. I'll see ya later then!
Working,
JUSTIN
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The Cause Of Frustration
Wanna know one of the biggest causes? Here it is:
- Power outages that happen while you're away from the computer while you're in the middle of a lengthy post. The post gets deleted cuz it's not saveable while being posted.
This happened tonight. I was in the middle of a WEEKEND GRAB-BAG and I got a call from Cy. I went over to his house to watch a movie and then came home to discover that the power had went out while I was away. I'm so frustrated!!!
Well I guess I'll finish it tomorrow sometime - or actually just plain do it. I have absolutely nothing to finish. . .
Sorry. Just blame power and its inability to stay on always. That's what I'm doing.
Now with power,
JUSTIN
- Power outages that happen while you're away from the computer while you're in the middle of a lengthy post. The post gets deleted cuz it's not saveable while being posted.
This happened tonight. I was in the middle of a WEEKEND GRAB-BAG and I got a call from Cy. I went over to his house to watch a movie and then came home to discover that the power had went out while I was away. I'm so frustrated!!!
Well I guess I'll finish it tomorrow sometime - or actually just plain do it. I have absolutely nothing to finish. . .
Sorry. Just blame power and its inability to stay on always. That's what I'm doing.
Now with power,
JUSTIN
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The Side Effects of Pining
Hey all.
So it's Saturday morning/afternoon/whatever. I have to work at 1700 tonight. I worked 13 hours over the last two days and I have but one more day before my four days off. That is the one thing I like about this crappy schedule: My days aren't divied up throughout the week. It's three straight days and then I have four off. So, yeah. One more night.
Well, the Heather countdown is down to exactly 19 days as of 1320 this afternoon. And no, I'm not counting :D I really miss her. I got to talk to her yesterday for a whole five minutes (VERY EXCITING!) and she says that they made it to Sydney ok. Their vacation part of the trip has now begun. They get to enjoy all sorts of fun and stuff for the next two weeks and then head to Fiji for another five days of maxin' and relaxin'. I'm happy for her (I really, truly am) but at the same time I just want her back! I'm very selfish when it comes to my wonderful Heather. Again, if you don't like it - don't bother with me. Someday soon, it's gonna be me and her and that's it and I can't wait. She is who I need and it sucks being so very far apart.
Because I have little to do at this juncture (at least before school begins again - ARRGHH!!!), I've kinda done some things that I usually don't have time for. One of them, however, I can't talk about. But you already knew that. . . I've updated my DVD list (the ones I own), watched some movies (TAXI DRIVER: A great performance by Robert De Niro turns a potentially boring film into a memorable one (Grade: B); NATURAL BORN KILLERS: Probably the most demented, strange, and WTF movie I've ever seen. However, performances (Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey, Jr.) and the purpose of the film (showing both our and the media's infatuation with the potentially insane) make it noteworthy. It's certainly not recommendable because of its, well, it's just not okay (Grade: B-) - - - and also prepared, quite lengthily in fact, a giant post coming very soon. After my giant SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW in May, I've decided to do three of those a year, one for each "third" of the year. SO, the upcoming "TIL THE END O' THE YEAR MOVIE PREVIEW" is right around the corner, my friends, and it's bigger than the aforementioned SUMMER one. I'm gonna have to be at the top of my game, but I think I'm ready. Bring it on!
I'm heading out tomorrow afternoon for George's. I'll be hanging out there til sometime Tuesday and then I'll be home that night. I'll post Tuesday with an update on how all that went and you can expect the giganterrific (yes, it's now a word) post in the coming weeks (before school starts on the 21st for sure). So look for it!
Just thought I'd give you a what's up today since I won't post til Tuesday. Hope you have a great weekend (I think I will) and I'll see ya around the corner - - -
- - - "You're only as healthy as you feel."
- - - Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) in TAXI DRIVER
Later later alligators,
JUSTIN
So it's Saturday morning/afternoon/whatever. I have to work at 1700 tonight. I worked 13 hours over the last two days and I have but one more day before my four days off. That is the one thing I like about this crappy schedule: My days aren't divied up throughout the week. It's three straight days and then I have four off. So, yeah. One more night.
Well, the Heather countdown is down to exactly 19 days as of 1320 this afternoon. And no, I'm not counting :D I really miss her. I got to talk to her yesterday for a whole five minutes (VERY EXCITING!) and she says that they made it to Sydney ok. Their vacation part of the trip has now begun. They get to enjoy all sorts of fun and stuff for the next two weeks and then head to Fiji for another five days of maxin' and relaxin'. I'm happy for her (I really, truly am) but at the same time I just want her back! I'm very selfish when it comes to my wonderful Heather. Again, if you don't like it - don't bother with me. Someday soon, it's gonna be me and her and that's it and I can't wait. She is who I need and it sucks being so very far apart.
Because I have little to do at this juncture (at least before school begins again - ARRGHH!!!), I've kinda done some things that I usually don't have time for. One of them, however, I can't talk about. But you already knew that. . . I've updated my DVD list (the ones I own), watched some movies (TAXI DRIVER: A great performance by Robert De Niro turns a potentially boring film into a memorable one (Grade: B); NATURAL BORN KILLERS: Probably the most demented, strange, and WTF movie I've ever seen. However, performances (Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey, Jr.) and the purpose of the film (showing both our and the media's infatuation with the potentially insane) make it noteworthy. It's certainly not recommendable because of its, well, it's just not okay (Grade: B-) - - - and also prepared, quite lengthily in fact, a giant post coming very soon. After my giant SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW in May, I've decided to do three of those a year, one for each "third" of the year. SO, the upcoming "TIL THE END O' THE YEAR MOVIE PREVIEW" is right around the corner, my friends, and it's bigger than the aforementioned SUMMER one. I'm gonna have to be at the top of my game, but I think I'm ready. Bring it on!
I'm heading out tomorrow afternoon for George's. I'll be hanging out there til sometime Tuesday and then I'll be home that night. I'll post Tuesday with an update on how all that went and you can expect the giganterrific (yes, it's now a word) post in the coming weeks (before school starts on the 21st for sure). So look for it!
Just thought I'd give you a what's up today since I won't post til Tuesday. Hope you have a great weekend (I think I will) and I'll see ya around the corner - - -
- - - "You're only as healthy as you feel."
- - - Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) in TAXI DRIVER
Later later alligators,
JUSTIN
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Cusack, Colbert, and Changed Campaigns
"Campaign" came up on the Thesaurus (via Microsoft Word) for the word "Plans". I needed a "C" word. Meh. That's what I do with my time. I come up with cute alliterative ways to improve my blog. It's for your enjoyment, not mine. I hope you do enjoy it. Just nod so I feel better. Thanks. . .
Today, well, today sucked. It really did. Here's why:
A) I woke up way later than I wanted. It's not like I had anything to do this morning (basketball has kinda taken a breather right now) but I hate waking up at 1130. I hate it! I feel like I wasted away the morning (well, I did) and it always begins my day with the opposite of a bang.
B) I did leave the house for three minutes to take a movie to the Post Office. SCORE!
C) I spent the following hours doing a mixture of the following: online poker, tv watching, web browsing. Yep, that's it. (Note: I moved on a bit more in my project - ya know, the one we do not mention here). I was waiting by the phone (or, actually, the phone was by me) for Heather to call around 1500 (that would be 0800 in the morning tomorrow where she is) but she didn't. I was sad. I was also waiting to hear from Justin around 1300ish cuz that's when he got out of work. I also didn't hear from him til much later. I was bummed.
D) Justin and I made plans to go to Black Angus with Jenn and Manny and then go see MIAMI VICE at 2030. Well, about a half hour before we were to meet, I called Justin and he said that he was no longer going because he was tired (rightfully so - he got up at 0400). Well, my plans then changed drastically. I ended up going from a full night's agenda to a boring night by myself (the rest of my family also had plans tonight). I called up NICK'S PIZZERIA and ordered an individual cheese pizza (light sauce of course) and a side salad (no dressing as always). I went and picked it up (a gift to leave home for a small amount of time) and took it home and ate while watching JEOPARDY. You can start calling me old names now - - -
E) After dinner, I came upstairs and caught a bit of MUST LOVE DOGS, the 2005 rom com starring Diane Lane and one of my most favorite actors, John Cusack. I have seen at least ten of his movies and I just truly enjoy his acting. So I watched the last half of this girly movie for two reasons: 1) I miss Heather. Chick flicks make me happy cuz they make me think of the incredible times that I have with my baby and 2) Cusack. End of story. After that, I watched a new episode of THE COLBERT REPORT, the incredibly funny and astute spinoff of THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART. This show is quickly moving up my charts when it comes to favorite television shows. Great stuff. Keep it up Stephen!
F) Now I'm blogging (obviously) and watching HIGH FIDELITY, another Cusack movie; my favorite of his.
Blah! What a day!!!!!!!!! And I mean that in such a shoobadawoop way (don't ask, it just came out!) that I can't take anymore. I'm going to bed almost pronto now just because I can't imagine staying up anymore.
Go rent HIGH FIDELITY. It's great!
- - - "What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"
- - - Rob (John Cusack) in HIGH FIDELITY
Nightness,
Justin
Today, well, today sucked. It really did. Here's why:
A) I woke up way later than I wanted. It's not like I had anything to do this morning (basketball has kinda taken a breather right now) but I hate waking up at 1130. I hate it! I feel like I wasted away the morning (well, I did) and it always begins my day with the opposite of a bang.
B) I did leave the house for three minutes to take a movie to the Post Office. SCORE!
C) I spent the following hours doing a mixture of the following: online poker, tv watching, web browsing. Yep, that's it. (Note: I moved on a bit more in my project - ya know, the one we do not mention here). I was waiting by the phone (or, actually, the phone was by me) for Heather to call around 1500 (that would be 0800 in the morning tomorrow where she is) but she didn't. I was sad. I was also waiting to hear from Justin around 1300ish cuz that's when he got out of work. I also didn't hear from him til much later. I was bummed.
D) Justin and I made plans to go to Black Angus with Jenn and Manny and then go see MIAMI VICE at 2030. Well, about a half hour before we were to meet, I called Justin and he said that he was no longer going because he was tired (rightfully so - he got up at 0400). Well, my plans then changed drastically. I ended up going from a full night's agenda to a boring night by myself (the rest of my family also had plans tonight). I called up NICK'S PIZZERIA and ordered an individual cheese pizza (light sauce of course) and a side salad (no dressing as always). I went and picked it up (a gift to leave home for a small amount of time) and took it home and ate while watching JEOPARDY. You can start calling me old names now - - -
E) After dinner, I came upstairs and caught a bit of MUST LOVE DOGS, the 2005 rom com starring Diane Lane and one of my most favorite actors, John Cusack. I have seen at least ten of his movies and I just truly enjoy his acting. So I watched the last half of this girly movie for two reasons: 1) I miss Heather. Chick flicks make me happy cuz they make me think of the incredible times that I have with my baby and 2) Cusack. End of story. After that, I watched a new episode of THE COLBERT REPORT, the incredibly funny and astute spinoff of THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART. This show is quickly moving up my charts when it comes to favorite television shows. Great stuff. Keep it up Stephen!
F) Now I'm blogging (obviously) and watching HIGH FIDELITY, another Cusack movie; my favorite of his.
Blah! What a day!!!!!!!!! And I mean that in such a shoobadawoop way (don't ask, it just came out!) that I can't take anymore. I'm going to bed almost pronto now just because I can't imagine staying up anymore.
Go rent HIGH FIDELITY. It's great!
- - - "What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"
- - - Rob (John Cusack) in HIGH FIDELITY
Nightness,
Justin
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
After-Errand Boredom
Welcome to August, everybody! Two weeks from today marks the One Year Anniversary of A RAMBLER'S RAMBLING. Thanks (taking a bow).
I'm starting to struggle with the absence of my wonderful Heather. Now, I'm not saying that I haven't already struggled with this fact, but today, especially, I felt it. I am at the point where I feel like I just need to talk to her. Hear her voice. Make her laugh. There's a whole lot of reasons why I wish she was here in my arms instead of in Australia. I will not list them all here (that would indeed take too long) but you can catch my drift. I really miss her.
Well, it's been a couple days since I last posted. The reason (of course I have an excuse) was that I was hanging out late last night with a couple friends (Justin and Mallory). Justin actually spent the night at my house last night cuz his family's house is getting it's floors redone, so he can't stay there. The three of us just chatted about all sorts of topics, including the stories of all of the young pregnant people we know - this was our favorite topic of the night. Turns out, there's quite a few people we know who are pregnant. Hmmm... Interesting.
This morning, Justin left for work and I left for some errands with Aimee. We went by the post office (to drop off a Netflix movie I finished), Barnes and Noble(Aimee needed a book for summer reading for school - ha ha - good ol' High School), BAJA FRESH (lunch, of course),Best Buy (the obligatory Tuesday stop - you see, Tuesday is the day that new CDs and DVDs release - I picked up V FOR VENDETTA and then bought two GREAT movies on sale for $5.99 each (HOOK and A FEW GOOD MEN), and then we had to stop by Justin's work (IN-N-OUT) to give him his cell phone, which he had left at my house. We made our way home, then, and from that moment on, my day turned gloomy.
I didn't do a whole lot this afternoon. I was productive on something at home, but I can't mention it here, because if Heather somehow reads it, then the surprise will be spoiled :D (how's that for teasing, baby?). I'm getting ever-closer to completing said project. I'm excited, but would really like to just see it get done already! Patience, young man, patience.
I watched SYRIANA yesterday. This was that political drama that came out last year that garnered George Clooney a Best Supporting Actor Award at last year's ACADEMY AWARDS. Yeah, well, like I mentioned before (or if I haven't here, then I've contended it elsewhere) Clooney was awarded this prize for his collective works in 2005. His role in GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (director, producer, screenwriter, actor) was unawarded (although quite highly nominated) because of the strong opposition. However, I think the Academy gave him this award because of all of his efforts. He certainly didn't deserve it. Both Paul Giamatti (in CINDERELLA MAN) and Matt Dillon (CRASH) gave better performances in my mind and they both were nominated. O well. The movie? It was long, confusing, and way over my head. However, it was intentional (it clearly had an agenda) and made it's point. I always give credit to filmmakers who can make a film that they want to make and for that, I recommend this film.
(Grade: B)
So, I'm done for the night (at least blogging-wise). But, before I go, I wanna give you some picutres that I've found lying around on my computer that I've had for some time. I know I promised them much earlier, but hey, better late than never:
Pictures from the Easter Sunday LAKERS/SUNS game that my dad and I attended
Playoff-hero Tim Thomas (hurts doesn't it Lakers fans?) who is now a traitor (signed an off-season deal with the Clippers). He's big.
Yeah. This picture needs no introduction. . . Jaaaaack!
TIP-OFF baby!!! (Note: My dad is a pretty good photographer turns out. . .)
Shawn Marion was this close!
Kobe "Loser" Bryant (trying out that nickname - does it work?) was that close!
Pictures from Aimee's Middle School Graduation in June
A Thorn Between Two Roses - that's sister Aimee on the left and my wonderful Heather on the right. Love you both girls!
The eldest Gott kids before Aimee ends her Middle School career. Good luck in HS sis!
At Claim Jumper's for my birthday/Mother's Day dinner
Brother Caleb and I actually getting along - it's rare: enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed a little bit o' photographia. It took quite a bit of effort to get them all on here, so definitely enjoy it. You enjoy it! (only if you want - I'm not gonna force you!)
Later all,
JUSTIN
I'm starting to struggle with the absence of my wonderful Heather. Now, I'm not saying that I haven't already struggled with this fact, but today, especially, I felt it. I am at the point where I feel like I just need to talk to her. Hear her voice. Make her laugh. There's a whole lot of reasons why I wish she was here in my arms instead of in Australia. I will not list them all here (that would indeed take too long) but you can catch my drift. I really miss her.
Well, it's been a couple days since I last posted. The reason (of course I have an excuse) was that I was hanging out late last night with a couple friends (Justin and Mallory). Justin actually spent the night at my house last night cuz his family's house is getting it's floors redone, so he can't stay there. The three of us just chatted about all sorts of topics, including the stories of all of the young pregnant people we know - this was our favorite topic of the night. Turns out, there's quite a few people we know who are pregnant. Hmmm... Interesting.
This morning, Justin left for work and I left for some errands with Aimee. We went by the post office (to drop off a Netflix movie I finished), Barnes and Noble(Aimee needed a book for summer reading for school - ha ha - good ol' High School), BAJA FRESH (lunch, of course),Best Buy (the obligatory Tuesday stop - you see, Tuesday is the day that new CDs and DVDs release - I picked up V FOR VENDETTA and then bought two GREAT movies on sale for $5.99 each (HOOK and A FEW GOOD MEN), and then we had to stop by Justin's work (IN-N-OUT) to give him his cell phone, which he had left at my house. We made our way home, then, and from that moment on, my day turned gloomy.
I didn't do a whole lot this afternoon. I was productive on something at home, but I can't mention it here, because if Heather somehow reads it, then the surprise will be spoiled :D (how's that for teasing, baby?). I'm getting ever-closer to completing said project. I'm excited, but would really like to just see it get done already! Patience, young man, patience.
I watched SYRIANA yesterday. This was that political drama that came out last year that garnered George Clooney a Best Supporting Actor Award at last year's ACADEMY AWARDS. Yeah, well, like I mentioned before (or if I haven't here, then I've contended it elsewhere) Clooney was awarded this prize for his collective works in 2005. His role in GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (director, producer, screenwriter, actor) was unawarded (although quite highly nominated) because of the strong opposition. However, I think the Academy gave him this award because of all of his efforts. He certainly didn't deserve it. Both Paul Giamatti (in CINDERELLA MAN) and Matt Dillon (CRASH) gave better performances in my mind and they both were nominated. O well. The movie? It was long, confusing, and way over my head. However, it was intentional (it clearly had an agenda) and made it's point. I always give credit to filmmakers who can make a film that they want to make and for that, I recommend this film.
(Grade: B)
So, I'm done for the night (at least blogging-wise). But, before I go, I wanna give you some picutres that I've found lying around on my computer that I've had for some time. I know I promised them much earlier, but hey, better late than never:
Pictures from the Easter Sunday LAKERS/SUNS game that my dad and I attended
Playoff-hero Tim Thomas (hurts doesn't it Lakers fans?) who is now a traitor (signed an off-season deal with the Clippers). He's big.
Yeah. This picture needs no introduction. . . Jaaaaack!
TIP-OFF baby!!! (Note: My dad is a pretty good photographer turns out. . .)
Shawn Marion was this close!
Kobe "Loser" Bryant (trying out that nickname - does it work?) was that close!
Pictures from Aimee's Middle School Graduation in June
A Thorn Between Two Roses - that's sister Aimee on the left and my wonderful Heather on the right. Love you both girls!
The eldest Gott kids before Aimee ends her Middle School career. Good luck in HS sis!
At Claim Jumper's for my birthday/Mother's Day dinner
Brother Caleb and I actually getting along - it's rare: enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed a little bit o' photographia. It took quite a bit of effort to get them all on here, so definitely enjoy it. You enjoy it! (only if you want - I'm not gonna force you!)
Later all,
JUSTIN
Sunday, July 30, 2006
The Weekend Grab-Bag: The Quotable Version
SO. . .
I trust everyone's weekend was good. See, it's funny. For me, the weekend is Sunday-Wednesday. With my schedule the way it is (Thursday-Saturday), my concept of the weekend has kinda gone a bit astray. Either way, it's Sunday night and time for another installment of A RAMBLER'S RAMBLING. This GRAB-BAG, the 160th post of this here blogging site, will be just like all the others preceding it, in that is in every way unchronological. Enjoy:
- So, work. Yeah, I worked each of the last three nights. I raked in a total of 19 hours this week (exactly, actually - I found humor in that) which is not nearly enough to maintain my present lifestyle, but I'm ok with that. I figure that in the months of September-December, I'm gonna be wishing I was back at this time with nothing to do but complain about my lack of hours. Thus, I'm not complaining about my lack of hours. I made over $50 in tips each night, which isn't great, but it's certainly more than what I walked in there with. I'm content right now with my work situation. Others aren't, but I am. So on both Friday and Saturday nights, my fellow TT closer Chris and I stayed after clocking out and just shot the breeze with our manager Jennifer. She's really cool and fun to listen to. We just jumped from subject to subject and talked about pretty much everything under the sun. We got outta there both nights around 0100. Yeah, it was later than I had wanted, but it was fun and was interesting. Plus, I got a great quote from Jenn that I shall divulge later. I will owe Jenn some money, cuz I was told I have to pay royalties on something this good. I'm not that rich Jenn!
- I have a very exciting plan for next "my weekend". I'm gonna head to my buddy George's place down in Murietta, CA to stay for a day or so. I'm gonna go down there on Sunday and then come back on Tuesday. It should be fun. He moved down there the first weekend of May. He's working at a CHICK-FIL-A down there and gonna start school down there too. So, since we haven't hung out in a long time (I wanna say since he moved), I'm gonna go down there and hang out for a day. We're planning on seeing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY while I'm down there, so that should be fun times as well. Looking forward to it even now. . . But speaking of that movie, I saw Will Ferrell on The Tonight Show and he was pretty funny during the interview. He also had a quote that was priceless, and one that you will see at the end of this here post as well. Good stuff. . .
- My parents, Aimee, and my Aunt and Uncle from Maryland got back in town from VIVA LAS VEGAS on Thursday night. Aimee had a dance convention there and my Aunt and Uncle had met my parents there. Now everyone's back at our house! They had a good time, which is cool. I only wish I could have gone and gambled some of the money that I have. . . Just another year and change Cy. So now that they're here, we did the family outing this afternoon. We went to lunch at, where else, JOHNNY CARINO'S this afternoon after church. It was a really good lunch, though. I'm still full almost seven hours later. Thanks again Pop!
- Been on Myspace quite a bit the last few days. You know, in less than a week, I have over 100 Profile views! I am so surprised! I think it took me months to get that far the last time I had one. Thanks to everyone who has gone on it! I'm working on learning how to better it. Give me some time.
- I watched Chasing Amy the other afternoon. This was the last film that I needed to watch to say that I've seen all of Kevin Smith's movies. Now I've seen them all. AMY was good, but not great. It had it's quite hilarious moments, though, and I'll quote them, yep, you guessed it, later. Again, Smith's movies are not for everyone. It takes a special type of person to either get or laugh at his humor. I do. I like his films, no matter how raunchy, odd, or off-the-wall they get. So sue me. Grade: B-
- Aimee and I have been watching a lot of FRIENDS recently. She's now gone through pretty much every episode, but now I'm reenergized about the show. We watch them together and laugh our fool heads off. Chandler, my ever-favorite character, just gets funnier to me. I'm really glad that I have all ten seasons of that show. If I want to watch a specific episode, guess what? I have it!
- I bought all three FINAL DESTINATION films the other day. $10 a movie. Not bad. I've enjoyed all three and I didn't want Cy to be the only one with them, so I splurged. This coming Tuesday V FOR VENDETTA, my second favorite movie of the year so far, comes out on DVD. Gonna have to pick that one up too. Also, a crapload of movies are on sale this week for less than $10 (some less than $5!) at BEST BUY and CIRCUIT CITY so I'm tempted to spend some more samolians (sound it out) there. ALSO, I'm needing to go to the eyeglasses place tomorrow cuz my sunglasses of four years (at least) are starting to leave a mark on my nose (you know, from the nose piece or whatever) whenever I wear them. I think it's a fixable thing. If not, I might just need to buy a new pair of Ray-Ban's which could cause more money to leave yours truly. We'll see. .
Well, I think that's it for right now. I'll try to post more this week. Maybe some pictures from something or something else. Maybe. . .
- - - QUOTABLE QUOTES:
"It's better to be a smart ass than a dumb ass." - Jenn (top notch!)
"I piss excellence and crap patriotism." - Will Ferrell (about his character, Ricky Bobby)
"What's a nubian?" - Banky (Jason Lee) in CHASING AMY
"It's not who you love, it's how." - Holden (Ben Affleck) in CHASING AMY
Night,
JUSTIN
I trust everyone's weekend was good. See, it's funny. For me, the weekend is Sunday-Wednesday. With my schedule the way it is (Thursday-Saturday), my concept of the weekend has kinda gone a bit astray. Either way, it's Sunday night and time for another installment of A RAMBLER'S RAMBLING. This GRAB-BAG, the 160th post of this here blogging site, will be just like all the others preceding it, in that is in every way unchronological. Enjoy:
- So, work. Yeah, I worked each of the last three nights. I raked in a total of 19 hours this week (exactly, actually - I found humor in that) which is not nearly enough to maintain my present lifestyle, but I'm ok with that. I figure that in the months of September-December, I'm gonna be wishing I was back at this time with nothing to do but complain about my lack of hours. Thus, I'm not complaining about my lack of hours. I made over $50 in tips each night, which isn't great, but it's certainly more than what I walked in there with. I'm content right now with my work situation. Others aren't, but I am. So on both Friday and Saturday nights, my fellow TT closer Chris and I stayed after clocking out and just shot the breeze with our manager Jennifer. She's really cool and fun to listen to. We just jumped from subject to subject and talked about pretty much everything under the sun. We got outta there both nights around 0100. Yeah, it was later than I had wanted, but it was fun and was interesting. Plus, I got a great quote from Jenn that I shall divulge later. I will owe Jenn some money, cuz I was told I have to pay royalties on something this good. I'm not that rich Jenn!
- I have a very exciting plan for next "my weekend". I'm gonna head to my buddy George's place down in Murietta, CA to stay for a day or so. I'm gonna go down there on Sunday and then come back on Tuesday. It should be fun. He moved down there the first weekend of May. He's working at a CHICK-FIL-A down there and gonna start school down there too. So, since we haven't hung out in a long time (I wanna say since he moved), I'm gonna go down there and hang out for a day. We're planning on seeing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY while I'm down there, so that should be fun times as well. Looking forward to it even now. . . But speaking of that movie, I saw Will Ferrell on The Tonight Show and he was pretty funny during the interview. He also had a quote that was priceless, and one that you will see at the end of this here post as well. Good stuff. . .
- My parents, Aimee, and my Aunt and Uncle from Maryland got back in town from VIVA LAS VEGAS on Thursday night. Aimee had a dance convention there and my Aunt and Uncle had met my parents there. Now everyone's back at our house! They had a good time, which is cool. I only wish I could have gone and gambled some of the money that I have. . . Just another year and change Cy. So now that they're here, we did the family outing this afternoon. We went to lunch at, where else, JOHNNY CARINO'S this afternoon after church. It was a really good lunch, though. I'm still full almost seven hours later. Thanks again Pop!
- Been on Myspace quite a bit the last few days. You know, in less than a week, I have over 100 Profile views! I am so surprised! I think it took me months to get that far the last time I had one. Thanks to everyone who has gone on it! I'm working on learning how to better it. Give me some time.
- I watched Chasing Amy the other afternoon. This was the last film that I needed to watch to say that I've seen all of Kevin Smith's movies. Now I've seen them all. AMY was good, but not great. It had it's quite hilarious moments, though, and I'll quote them, yep, you guessed it, later. Again, Smith's movies are not for everyone. It takes a special type of person to either get or laugh at his humor. I do. I like his films, no matter how raunchy, odd, or off-the-wall they get. So sue me. Grade: B-
- Aimee and I have been watching a lot of FRIENDS recently. She's now gone through pretty much every episode, but now I'm reenergized about the show. We watch them together and laugh our fool heads off. Chandler, my ever-favorite character, just gets funnier to me. I'm really glad that I have all ten seasons of that show. If I want to watch a specific episode, guess what? I have it!
- I bought all three FINAL DESTINATION films the other day. $10 a movie. Not bad. I've enjoyed all three and I didn't want Cy to be the only one with them, so I splurged. This coming Tuesday V FOR VENDETTA, my second favorite movie of the year so far, comes out on DVD. Gonna have to pick that one up too. Also, a crapload of movies are on sale this week for less than $10 (some less than $5!) at BEST BUY and CIRCUIT CITY so I'm tempted to spend some more samolians (sound it out) there. ALSO, I'm needing to go to the eyeglasses place tomorrow cuz my sunglasses of four years (at least) are starting to leave a mark on my nose (you know, from the nose piece or whatever) whenever I wear them. I think it's a fixable thing. If not, I might just need to buy a new pair of Ray-Ban's which could cause more money to leave yours truly. We'll see. .
Well, I think that's it for right now. I'll try to post more this week. Maybe some pictures from something or something else. Maybe. . .
- - - QUOTABLE QUOTES:
"It's better to be a smart ass than a dumb ass." - Jenn (top notch!)
"I piss excellence and crap patriotism." - Will Ferrell (about his character, Ricky Bobby)
"What's a nubian?" - Banky (Jason Lee) in CHASING AMY
"It's not who you love, it's how." - Holden (Ben Affleck) in CHASING AMY
Night,
JUSTIN
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Starting To Go "All-In"-sane
Good evening everyone. It's Wednesday. I'm lonely. It's only been a week without Heather. One down (tomorrow actually). Four to go. Dangit.
So I did the basketball thing again this morning and came home around 1230. After that, I perused the evil empire (that would be MYSPACE) for awhile and then talked to Justin about maybe hanging out this afternoon. We agreed that 1500 would be a good time and I headed over there around then. Manny (Justin's sister's fiance'), Justin, and myself played three games of TEXAS HOLD-EM which took about 3.5 hours. The first two were $5 buy-ins (winner take-all) and I won them both. It felt so good to get back to playing poker (it has been awhile) and winning felt INCREDIBLE!!! So, I won $30 and only spent $10. That was nice. Well Justin was a little bummed with losing, and also only had a limited amount of time before he had to head to school (he goes to the L.A. Recording School. However, Justin wanted to win his money back. He requested we up the antes (well, the buy-in anyway - - we play blinds, not antes) to $10. I agreed (rather hesitantly - I was happy with my money) and ended up losing out to Justin, who excitedly took his money back. We both spent $20 and won $30. Poor Manny lost $20. Bummer for him. . .
Well I came home around 1900 and then watched some of the ol' television. I went out and got some Del-Taco for dinner (four soft chicken tacos and a cheese quesadilla) and brought it home. I put in ASK THE DUST, a movie I got from Netflix today. It came out in March, and I had wanted to see it then, but couldn't. It was pretty good, but was eerily similar to MOULIN ROUGE, only without those crazy, acid-induced musical numbers. Colin Farrell, as usual, was really good. Meh. I wouldn't recommend it, though. Kinda boring. Kinda pointless. (Grade: C)
I hope everyone's doing well. I'm starting to go a bit crazy. Luckily (yes, I said luckily) I work the next three nights, so I'll definitely be keeping busy (and making money!).
Well, I'm tired. Gonna retire early and get a bit more sleep tonight. Sleep well all - - -
JUSTIN
So I did the basketball thing again this morning and came home around 1230. After that, I perused the evil empire (that would be MYSPACE) for awhile and then talked to Justin about maybe hanging out this afternoon. We agreed that 1500 would be a good time and I headed over there around then. Manny (Justin's sister's fiance'), Justin, and myself played three games of TEXAS HOLD-EM which took about 3.5 hours. The first two were $5 buy-ins (winner take-all) and I won them both. It felt so good to get back to playing poker (it has been awhile) and winning felt INCREDIBLE!!! So, I won $30 and only spent $10. That was nice. Well Justin was a little bummed with losing, and also only had a limited amount of time before he had to head to school (he goes to the L.A. Recording School. However, Justin wanted to win his money back. He requested we up the antes (well, the buy-in anyway - - we play blinds, not antes) to $10. I agreed (rather hesitantly - I was happy with my money) and ended up losing out to Justin, who excitedly took his money back. We both spent $20 and won $30. Poor Manny lost $20. Bummer for him. . .
Well I came home around 1900 and then watched some of the ol' television. I went out and got some Del-Taco for dinner (four soft chicken tacos and a cheese quesadilla) and brought it home. I put in ASK THE DUST, a movie I got from Netflix today. It came out in March, and I had wanted to see it then, but couldn't. It was pretty good, but was eerily similar to MOULIN ROUGE, only without those crazy, acid-induced musical numbers. Colin Farrell, as usual, was really good. Meh. I wouldn't recommend it, though. Kinda boring. Kinda pointless. (Grade: C)
I hope everyone's doing well. I'm starting to go a bit crazy. Luckily (yes, I said luckily) I work the next three nights, so I'll definitely be keeping busy (and making money!).
Well, I'm tired. Gonna retire early and get a bit more sleep tonight. Sleep well all - - -
JUSTIN
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Another Grab-Bag: The Scanner Clerkly Version
I'm bored.
My mom, dad, and sister left for Viva Las Vegas early Monday morning and I am at home with the brother and my grandma. There isn't much to do since it's so hot outside and I'm essentially alone in Lancaster (Heather in Australia, Cy in D.C. - he left yesterday - and Justin working a lot and whatnot). I called a few other people but that was to no avail. So, I did the unthinkable. But I'll get to that in a bit. Until then, enjoy another GRAB-BAG folks. That's all I seem to be doing now. I won't meet my goal of 182 posts. O well. Here's post 158 (I think - that's still a lot!) and of course, it's unchronological in nature. . .
- Last Friday night was a lot of fun. In an attempt to preoccupy myself with stuff that did not deal with the thought of Heather being away from me (although she's always on my mind anyway), I had bought tickets a couple weeks ago to attend a showing of CLERKS 2 at Arclight for Justin and I. The awesomeness of it all was that Kevin Smith, yes SILENT BOB himself, was going to be doing a Q&A following the film!!! Well Justin and I headed down a bit early so we could go see A SCANNER DARKLY, which was playing exclusively at ARCLIGHT. So we saw that at 2015, got out around 2200, and then went to AMOEBA MUSIC for a half hour or so (I bought DOGMA and two stand-up comedy DVD's including a Dave Chapelle one) and then got back to ARCLIGHT for the 2245 showing of Clerks 2. After the movie ended (around 0030), Kevin Smith talked for over an hour!!! Justin and I didn't get out of the parking garage until 0200 and didn't get back to his house til almost 0300. We went to sleep pretty quick and then woke up the next morning and played SEGA for a few hours. I ended up going home to get ready for work (dang work) but it was a really good time that got my mind on other things for a bit o' time. Thanks bud...
- I worked Saturday night. I closed and got less than $50. Work sucks right now.
- The "unthinkable" that I've done is (get ready for it - it's a HUGE thing!) . . . gotten a new MYSPACE! O snaps! Yes, friends, it's true, I've dived back into the world of free online communication that now holds over 90 million people (yes you read that right). Both by the desire to catch up with old friends (mostly the ones I met while in Downey) and a chance to expand the reach of my BLOG here, I have gone back to sell my soul to Tom (if you know about Myspace, then you know about Tom). O well. . .
- On Sunday I got a chance to hang out with both Mallory and Cy, which was cool. Cy was getting ready to leave for D.C. (he needed to pack) but he made some time for his friends. He's so nice :D
- O, you probably want some movie reviews, huh? Well, looking back on the films, I liked them both, but I liked one more: CLERKS 2. Kevin Smith is a genius. I laughed out loud many times, but it was more of a heartfelt effort by Smith this time around (except for the whole donkey show thing ha ha). Excellent picture that's truly only for true Smith fans; everyone else BEWARE! (Grade: B+) SCANNER was weird. It was trippy. It was confusing beyond anything I've seen in awhile. I think it had a point. I'm still not sure. However, based solely on the hilarious performances by Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson, I give this film a solid (B-).
- You know, I'm pretty tired from all this computer business (I've been on it for awhile). I'm gonna go ahead and go to bed. . .
Night all you (now) fellow-Myspacers,
Baby J (you'll see)
My mom, dad, and sister left for Viva Las Vegas early Monday morning and I am at home with the brother and my grandma. There isn't much to do since it's so hot outside and I'm essentially alone in Lancaster (Heather in Australia, Cy in D.C. - he left yesterday - and Justin working a lot and whatnot). I called a few other people but that was to no avail. So, I did the unthinkable. But I'll get to that in a bit. Until then, enjoy another GRAB-BAG folks. That's all I seem to be doing now. I won't meet my goal of 182 posts. O well. Here's post 158 (I think - that's still a lot!) and of course, it's unchronological in nature. . .
- Last Friday night was a lot of fun. In an attempt to preoccupy myself with stuff that did not deal with the thought of Heather being away from me (although she's always on my mind anyway), I had bought tickets a couple weeks ago to attend a showing of CLERKS 2 at Arclight for Justin and I. The awesomeness of it all was that Kevin Smith, yes SILENT BOB himself, was going to be doing a Q&A following the film!!! Well Justin and I headed down a bit early so we could go see A SCANNER DARKLY, which was playing exclusively at ARCLIGHT. So we saw that at 2015, got out around 2200, and then went to AMOEBA MUSIC for a half hour or so (I bought DOGMA and two stand-up comedy DVD's including a Dave Chapelle one) and then got back to ARCLIGHT for the 2245 showing of Clerks 2. After the movie ended (around 0030), Kevin Smith talked for over an hour!!! Justin and I didn't get out of the parking garage until 0200 and didn't get back to his house til almost 0300. We went to sleep pretty quick and then woke up the next morning and played SEGA for a few hours. I ended up going home to get ready for work (dang work) but it was a really good time that got my mind on other things for a bit o' time. Thanks bud...
- I worked Saturday night. I closed and got less than $50. Work sucks right now.
- The "unthinkable" that I've done is (get ready for it - it's a HUGE thing!) . . . gotten a new MYSPACE! O snaps! Yes, friends, it's true, I've dived back into the world of free online communication that now holds over 90 million people (yes you read that right). Both by the desire to catch up with old friends (mostly the ones I met while in Downey) and a chance to expand the reach of my BLOG here, I have gone back to sell my soul to Tom (if you know about Myspace, then you know about Tom). O well. . .
- On Sunday I got a chance to hang out with both Mallory and Cy, which was cool. Cy was getting ready to leave for D.C. (he needed to pack) but he made some time for his friends. He's so nice :D
- O, you probably want some movie reviews, huh? Well, looking back on the films, I liked them both, but I liked one more: CLERKS 2. Kevin Smith is a genius. I laughed out loud many times, but it was more of a heartfelt effort by Smith this time around (except for the whole donkey show thing ha ha). Excellent picture that's truly only for true Smith fans; everyone else BEWARE! (Grade: B+) SCANNER was weird. It was trippy. It was confusing beyond anything I've seen in awhile. I think it had a point. I'm still not sure. However, based solely on the hilarious performances by Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson, I give this film a solid (B-).
- You know, I'm pretty tired from all this computer business (I've been on it for awhile). I'm gonna go ahead and go to bed. . .
Night all you (now) fellow-Myspacers,
Baby J (you'll see)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
My Girl
*sigh*
So I'm home now after going on the longest drive in the history of drives in the history of one man, yours truly, The Rambler. And that says a lot, considering that I've driven across this 3000-mile-long country! I am now in a very sad state - yeah, it's true.
So today I did the basketball thing in the morning and then headed over to Heather's after showering and running a couple of errands. We left around 1430 and hit crazy traffic on the way to LAX. We got to a LA QUINTA INN at 1630 (this is where their orientation was happening) and then went to a Taco Bell for a quick bite. I wish the bite had been longer. Barbara and I pulled away from a suitcase-wheeling Chelsea and Heather around 1900 and that's the last time I'll see my better half until August 24. That's a long time. I got home around 2100 when all was said and done and I'm now holed up in my room trying to distract myself from the reality that she's gone. And she is...
So, for those of you who don't like sentiment, romanticism, or just the release of an uncontrollable force that is a pining, very muchso in love boy: STOP READING!!! For the rest of you, prepare for a solid post of all-things Heather. Because, my friends, that's all I can think about. . .
I have liked Heather since fifth grade. She was the first girl that actually responded to me in any way, shape, or form at Desert Christian. We did kaleidoscopes together (yes, I remember that far back). She was always really nice and I always thought that she was a very cute individual. I continued to have an interest in her in middle school. We were friendly to each other, but she had a consistent boyfriend by the name of Travis through much of middle school (it was one of those off and on things that so symbolized middle school in general). We both remember Valentine's Day on our 7th grade year. We do, because on this day I taped two plastic flowers to her locker door in an attempt to woo fair ladies' heart. She was impressed, but lo and behold, I was still alone in the relationship department. I was one of those guys who had a bunch of friendgirls, but was lacking a girlfriend. I figured in whole this was ok, because I could only learn from watching others anyway, right? Well this continued for awhile, but Heather and I did kinda lose contact for a couple years. Then high school happened. . .
I didn't keep very close touch with Heather through our Freshman and Sophomore years. I was going through a weird phase where I would switch the girl I liked every month or so when nothing materialized over that monthlong period. I was very much interested in having a girlfriend. I wanted a gf merely to say I had one. I truly believe that. I was lonely, and my friends weren't meeting that need there. Every so often, I would be reminded of the existence of one Heather Acuff and be reminded what a great girl she was. On the infamous "Book Buy" day over the summer between our Sophomore and Junior years, I saw her walking towards her car while I was heading towards mine. I called out to her and said we needed to catch up (cuz we had been pretty close in middle school and I thought that we were still pretty friendly). She seemed in a rush (I later learned that their washer had gone haywire and was leaking at their house. Had I known this, I probably wouldn't have wasted her time :D ) so I asked if she was busy or something. She said she was, but agreed that we should catch up. I said I only wanted five minutes (I had a feeling I'd get more if I got that much) and suggested we do it at Retreat (the first week of school at DCHS is a Retreat to a local campground - three days of games, chapels, and meeting new people). I said ok and told her that I'd "Hold her to it" (this would later become an overly used quote of mine - actually, it still is). I ended up e-mailing her later that Summer before Retreat and we chatted a bit via the computer Postal Service. I was getting over being interested in someone else at the time (this one was a bit deeper than the others, but either way, it was nothing but an exaggerated emotional thing - I kinda went crazy for a little bit - not that there's anything wrong with that. . .) so I was pretty unstable in regards to girls. We ended up carrying on fun conversations and around October, I realized that Heather was the girl I wanted to have be my first girlfriend ever. I figured (assumed is more like it) she would completely disagree, though, seeing as though she was very anti-relationship (independent woman that she is). The next three months were a complete blur. . . And yet I remember them like they were yesterday.
Our phone conversations began to last longer and longer. There was one night in December (I remember it was December because, well, I'll get to that) that we actually talked until around 0400 in the morning. We realized that we couldn't possibly go to school at this rate (since it was so late and all) and we both decided we would beg our parents to let us call in sick to school. We hung up with a promise to hang out through the "school day" but not at school. I hung up and immediately got to cleaning my room. It was spick and span by the time my mom woke up and I asked her to please let me do what I wanted. She agreed and I met Heather at BAJA FRESH for lunch. This was my first date. Ever. I was scared shitless. She was so beautiful. I had previously been reminded of her attractiveness a couple months prior to this when she came to school with new highlights in her hair. Holy crap was she hot! It was at that moment that I realized how in over my head I was. Whether that was true or not, we left BAJA and went to the movies to see the Farrelly brothers movie STUCK ON YOU which had just come out. After we saw the movie, we hugged goodbye (o what I would give just to hug her now!) and I drove straight to my friend Mallory's to tell her all about my incredible day. I was beaming the entire time I told her about my experience (as Mal tells the story) and I went home on Cloud Nine (I think that's an expression which means that I was really really happy). What I didn't know was that Heather was just playing with my heart . . .
She has since told me that she didn't like me when we started going out occasionally. We went out for hot chocolate a couple of times and walked around the Mall. Even though she didn't find me at all attractive (among other things), she still got all dolled up and made sure she smelled ever so desireable (I can still smell the scent) just so that I would find her appealing. I did. She was everything that I was looking for. She was funny. She was interesting. She was smart. She was all of those things and more than me in every category. She was way out of my league. She is still. But that didn't stop me from trying. . .
We had 2nd period Study Hall together that year. I made sure I sat by her on day one cuz we had been chatting a bit online, so I figured she's be cordial. I found out quickly (I had to ask "so how is everything") that her mom had been in a terrible motorcycle accident just a couple days prior to school starting. The accident had left her mom in the hospital with terrible road rash and burns over her body and the guy she was riding with had died on-site. It was tough on her. I did what I could to help her get through it, but I wasn't good at consolation. I could sympathize, but I certainly couldn't empathize. Some days I wouldn't get to class on-time so another guy would get the seat next to her. This pissed me off. She was my friend! Plus, this was the "new guy" whom every girl in our grade was crazy about. I was screwed. I tried to use the fact that her and I had Trigonometry and AP Literature together to help. Sometimes it did. I later learned that, at that time, I had a bad breath issue that made it difficult for her to talk to me. How I ended up with her by my side? I'll never know.
I finally went to her house on Christmas Eve of 2003 with a cylinder (is it a can?) of Godiva Hot Chocolate. It was a birthday/Christmas gift (her bday is the 27th) and I was just trying to gain brownie points. We watched A CHRISTMAS STORY together (I had never seen it, which was a complete shock to them) and I was so preoccupied with the fact that I was on a couch next to a gorgeous girl that I don't remember much of the movie. I've heard it's a classic. Another night around this time a bunch of us went over to Cy's to watch some movies. I'll never forget that night. Heahter and I were both sitting on his couch and petting his dog, Ewok. Our hands kept touching, and it was really exciting. Then we ate some "Koalabees" (you know, those cookies that were little koalas with chocolate in the middle? I think that's what they were called) and kept going for the bag at the same time. More hand touching. More excitement. I can remember crossing my legs in front of me and thanking God that I was wearing jeans. I had touched a girl's hand. Wow. . .
It was sometime in the first couple weeks of January that I finally cracked and told her I had feelings for her. Our conversation on the phone lasted about an hour and I talked a good 50 minutes of that. She explained that she was not in the place to start a relationship. I told her (and I reitterated about fifteen times) to just "Consider Me" whenever that time came. I said I'd be waiting for her to come around. She was my girl. She was the Jenny to my Forrest. She was the Leia to my Han. She was the Rachel to my Ross. She said ok and we stopped that conversation quickly. I took her flowers (a dozen of em) on January 23, 2004. This was the night that we studied for our Chemistry final, which was the next day. This was also the night that Heather told me she had considered me and decided to give me a chance. She said she had prayed about it and almost overnight her opinion on me had changed. I thank God everyday at some point for putting her in my life, even though I don't do nearly enough to pay him back.
I just thought about dividing this into several different posts. Meh. I'm kinda almost done. . .
We went on a Missions Trip the last weekend of January. It was called BUILD-A-HOUSE CLUB and it was, well, I guess the title is pretty self-explanatory. It took place in Tijuana, Mexico. This was my first trip over the border. I was sick. Very sick. I coughed all the way down, even though I slept most of the way (I almost didn't go - if my mom had made the decision, I would never have gone). The real reason I went was to see Heather. I'll be honest. We (coincidentally?) were put in the same group and we spent the entire day together, putting up a house for a Mexican family who had no roof over their head. We chatted some more while nailing in the small tacks on the roof. She was incredible. She had said she wasn't sure she wanted to call me her "boyfriend" but she said she kinda liked me too. Well, on the night of January 31, 2004, I got an answer. We were driving to a place where we would be bonfiring and we had just left an ice cream place. I was sitting next to her in the middle section of a full Suburban. I put my left hand towards her and asked, ever so smoothly, "Are your hands cold?". She replied in the affirmative and I took her hands in mine and rubbed them awhile. Then I stopped rubbing and began to just hold her hand. Again, I was thankful that I was wearing jeans. The remainder of the trip was a blur as I was now the boyfriend of one Heather Acuff and this was the catch of the class. I had finally gotten my girl (no pun intended... actually, yeah it was. . .).
What has followed since then has been the best 2 1/2 years of my life. Heather and I have been growing closer and closer everyday. We've seen countless movies together, gone to Broadway and seen THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with our senior class, tried to kiss in Times Square even though our teachers were watching our every move (we never actually succeeded), taken swing dance lessons (even to the point of performing our routine in front of a live audience during THE TOKNIGHT SHOW, a talent show thing that Cy and I hosted our senior year), played an umpteenth amount of games of Egyptian War, stared at the stars for hours up on my roof, and so many more activities that I even struggle remember everything that we've done over that great amount of time. I always say that we're 2 1/2 years going on 60, and people laugh. I'm serious, though. So are we. So is US.
Now she's taking off (at the time of the post - I changed the time to reflect the scheduled departure time of their flight) from LAX and I'm at home on my computer with one of my favorite movies, THE SINGING DETECTIVE, playing in the background. I watched this movie with her once. You see, because of our gigantic amount of things that we've done together, everything there is (that's right, everything!) reminds me of her. I challenge you to come up with something for me to discuss that won't result in me creating a sequence of stories/events that lead me to Heather in some sort of way. Here's an example:
- Ping Pong: leads to Forrest Gump, which leads to the restaurant BUBBA GUMP, which leads to Heather since we've been there a few times for dinner
Not convinced? Here's another one:
- Michael J. Fox: was on SPIN CITY, which was created in part by Bill Lawrence, who also created SCRUBS, which I absolutely love and introduced to Chelsea, who is, in fact, Heather's sister - that easily leads to Heather then. . .
I am the best at this game. Especially since I'm in love.
That just might be the longest post in the history of blogspot.com - - - I wish I could know if that was true. But now, as my eyes well up a bit, and my arms crave to wrap around my girl, and my body lusts for connection (not physical gratification or anything like that, dirty-minds, but simply the closeness of laying next to someone and knowing they aren't moving anywhere) I realize that the five weeks has only just begun. It's funny. You know, the things I'm gonna miss most are having someone to say "Good Morning Beautiful" and "Good Night Heather My Love" to. It's that connection of always being able to text a small message of love and receive a similar "I love you too" back. It's that knowledge that not only is she not just six miles (her Palmdale house) away, not just 90 miles away (her LB apartment), but thousands of miles away and 17 hours ahead of me.
It's going to be a really long time. I'll make it. So will we. And friends (the few who have hung on this long), I promise you that much.
Heather, I love you. And I will miss you oodles! I don't need a koala or any other souvenir. I only need you back.
. . .
. . .
The End.
JUSTIN
So I'm home now after going on the longest drive in the history of drives in the history of one man, yours truly, The Rambler. And that says a lot, considering that I've driven across this 3000-mile-long country! I am now in a very sad state - yeah, it's true.
So today I did the basketball thing in the morning and then headed over to Heather's after showering and running a couple of errands. We left around 1430 and hit crazy traffic on the way to LAX. We got to a LA QUINTA INN at 1630 (this is where their orientation was happening) and then went to a Taco Bell for a quick bite. I wish the bite had been longer. Barbara and I pulled away from a suitcase-wheeling Chelsea and Heather around 1900 and that's the last time I'll see my better half until August 24. That's a long time. I got home around 2100 when all was said and done and I'm now holed up in my room trying to distract myself from the reality that she's gone. And she is...
So, for those of you who don't like sentiment, romanticism, or just the release of an uncontrollable force that is a pining, very muchso in love boy: STOP READING!!! For the rest of you, prepare for a solid post of all-things Heather. Because, my friends, that's all I can think about. . .
I have liked Heather since fifth grade. She was the first girl that actually responded to me in any way, shape, or form at Desert Christian. We did kaleidoscopes together (yes, I remember that far back). She was always really nice and I always thought that she was a very cute individual. I continued to have an interest in her in middle school. We were friendly to each other, but she had a consistent boyfriend by the name of Travis through much of middle school (it was one of those off and on things that so symbolized middle school in general). We both remember Valentine's Day on our 7th grade year. We do, because on this day I taped two plastic flowers to her locker door in an attempt to woo fair ladies' heart. She was impressed, but lo and behold, I was still alone in the relationship department. I was one of those guys who had a bunch of friendgirls, but was lacking a girlfriend. I figured in whole this was ok, because I could only learn from watching others anyway, right? Well this continued for awhile, but Heather and I did kinda lose contact for a couple years. Then high school happened. . .
I didn't keep very close touch with Heather through our Freshman and Sophomore years. I was going through a weird phase where I would switch the girl I liked every month or so when nothing materialized over that monthlong period. I was very much interested in having a girlfriend. I wanted a gf merely to say I had one. I truly believe that. I was lonely, and my friends weren't meeting that need there. Every so often, I would be reminded of the existence of one Heather Acuff and be reminded what a great girl she was. On the infamous "Book Buy" day over the summer between our Sophomore and Junior years, I saw her walking towards her car while I was heading towards mine. I called out to her and said we needed to catch up (cuz we had been pretty close in middle school and I thought that we were still pretty friendly). She seemed in a rush (I later learned that their washer had gone haywire and was leaking at their house. Had I known this, I probably wouldn't have wasted her time :D ) so I asked if she was busy or something. She said she was, but agreed that we should catch up. I said I only wanted five minutes (I had a feeling I'd get more if I got that much) and suggested we do it at Retreat (the first week of school at DCHS is a Retreat to a local campground - three days of games, chapels, and meeting new people). I said ok and told her that I'd "Hold her to it" (this would later become an overly used quote of mine - actually, it still is). I ended up e-mailing her later that Summer before Retreat and we chatted a bit via the computer Postal Service. I was getting over being interested in someone else at the time (this one was a bit deeper than the others, but either way, it was nothing but an exaggerated emotional thing - I kinda went crazy for a little bit - not that there's anything wrong with that. . .) so I was pretty unstable in regards to girls. We ended up carrying on fun conversations and around October, I realized that Heather was the girl I wanted to have be my first girlfriend ever. I figured (assumed is more like it) she would completely disagree, though, seeing as though she was very anti-relationship (independent woman that she is). The next three months were a complete blur. . . And yet I remember them like they were yesterday.
Our phone conversations began to last longer and longer. There was one night in December (I remember it was December because, well, I'll get to that) that we actually talked until around 0400 in the morning. We realized that we couldn't possibly go to school at this rate (since it was so late and all) and we both decided we would beg our parents to let us call in sick to school. We hung up with a promise to hang out through the "school day" but not at school. I hung up and immediately got to cleaning my room. It was spick and span by the time my mom woke up and I asked her to please let me do what I wanted. She agreed and I met Heather at BAJA FRESH for lunch. This was my first date. Ever. I was scared shitless. She was so beautiful. I had previously been reminded of her attractiveness a couple months prior to this when she came to school with new highlights in her hair. Holy crap was she hot! It was at that moment that I realized how in over my head I was. Whether that was true or not, we left BAJA and went to the movies to see the Farrelly brothers movie STUCK ON YOU which had just come out. After we saw the movie, we hugged goodbye (o what I would give just to hug her now!) and I drove straight to my friend Mallory's to tell her all about my incredible day. I was beaming the entire time I told her about my experience (as Mal tells the story) and I went home on Cloud Nine (I think that's an expression which means that I was really really happy). What I didn't know was that Heather was just playing with my heart . . .
She has since told me that she didn't like me when we started going out occasionally. We went out for hot chocolate a couple of times and walked around the Mall. Even though she didn't find me at all attractive (among other things), she still got all dolled up and made sure she smelled ever so desireable (I can still smell the scent) just so that I would find her appealing. I did. She was everything that I was looking for. She was funny. She was interesting. She was smart. She was all of those things and more than me in every category. She was way out of my league. She is still. But that didn't stop me from trying. . .
We had 2nd period Study Hall together that year. I made sure I sat by her on day one cuz we had been chatting a bit online, so I figured she's be cordial. I found out quickly (I had to ask "so how is everything") that her mom had been in a terrible motorcycle accident just a couple days prior to school starting. The accident had left her mom in the hospital with terrible road rash and burns over her body and the guy she was riding with had died on-site. It was tough on her. I did what I could to help her get through it, but I wasn't good at consolation. I could sympathize, but I certainly couldn't empathize. Some days I wouldn't get to class on-time so another guy would get the seat next to her. This pissed me off. She was my friend! Plus, this was the "new guy" whom every girl in our grade was crazy about. I was screwed. I tried to use the fact that her and I had Trigonometry and AP Literature together to help. Sometimes it did. I later learned that, at that time, I had a bad breath issue that made it difficult for her to talk to me. How I ended up with her by my side? I'll never know.
I finally went to her house on Christmas Eve of 2003 with a cylinder (is it a can?) of Godiva Hot Chocolate. It was a birthday/Christmas gift (her bday is the 27th) and I was just trying to gain brownie points. We watched A CHRISTMAS STORY together (I had never seen it, which was a complete shock to them) and I was so preoccupied with the fact that I was on a couch next to a gorgeous girl that I don't remember much of the movie. I've heard it's a classic. Another night around this time a bunch of us went over to Cy's to watch some movies. I'll never forget that night. Heahter and I were both sitting on his couch and petting his dog, Ewok. Our hands kept touching, and it was really exciting. Then we ate some "Koalabees" (you know, those cookies that were little koalas with chocolate in the middle? I think that's what they were called) and kept going for the bag at the same time. More hand touching. More excitement. I can remember crossing my legs in front of me and thanking God that I was wearing jeans. I had touched a girl's hand. Wow. . .
It was sometime in the first couple weeks of January that I finally cracked and told her I had feelings for her. Our conversation on the phone lasted about an hour and I talked a good 50 minutes of that. She explained that she was not in the place to start a relationship. I told her (and I reitterated about fifteen times) to just "Consider Me" whenever that time came. I said I'd be waiting for her to come around. She was my girl. She was the Jenny to my Forrest. She was the Leia to my Han. She was the Rachel to my Ross. She said ok and we stopped that conversation quickly. I took her flowers (a dozen of em) on January 23, 2004. This was the night that we studied for our Chemistry final, which was the next day. This was also the night that Heather told me she had considered me and decided to give me a chance. She said she had prayed about it and almost overnight her opinion on me had changed. I thank God everyday at some point for putting her in my life, even though I don't do nearly enough to pay him back.
I just thought about dividing this into several different posts. Meh. I'm kinda almost done. . .
We went on a Missions Trip the last weekend of January. It was called BUILD-A-HOUSE CLUB and it was, well, I guess the title is pretty self-explanatory. It took place in Tijuana, Mexico. This was my first trip over the border. I was sick. Very sick. I coughed all the way down, even though I slept most of the way (I almost didn't go - if my mom had made the decision, I would never have gone). The real reason I went was to see Heather. I'll be honest. We (coincidentally?) were put in the same group and we spent the entire day together, putting up a house for a Mexican family who had no roof over their head. We chatted some more while nailing in the small tacks on the roof. She was incredible. She had said she wasn't sure she wanted to call me her "boyfriend" but she said she kinda liked me too. Well, on the night of January 31, 2004, I got an answer. We were driving to a place where we would be bonfiring and we had just left an ice cream place. I was sitting next to her in the middle section of a full Suburban. I put my left hand towards her and asked, ever so smoothly, "Are your hands cold?". She replied in the affirmative and I took her hands in mine and rubbed them awhile. Then I stopped rubbing and began to just hold her hand. Again, I was thankful that I was wearing jeans. The remainder of the trip was a blur as I was now the boyfriend of one Heather Acuff and this was the catch of the class. I had finally gotten my girl (no pun intended... actually, yeah it was. . .).
What has followed since then has been the best 2 1/2 years of my life. Heather and I have been growing closer and closer everyday. We've seen countless movies together, gone to Broadway and seen THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with our senior class, tried to kiss in Times Square even though our teachers were watching our every move (we never actually succeeded), taken swing dance lessons (even to the point of performing our routine in front of a live audience during THE TOKNIGHT SHOW, a talent show thing that Cy and I hosted our senior year), played an umpteenth amount of games of Egyptian War, stared at the stars for hours up on my roof, and so many more activities that I even struggle remember everything that we've done over that great amount of time. I always say that we're 2 1/2 years going on 60, and people laugh. I'm serious, though. So are we. So is US.
Now she's taking off (at the time of the post - I changed the time to reflect the scheduled departure time of their flight) from LAX and I'm at home on my computer with one of my favorite movies, THE SINGING DETECTIVE, playing in the background. I watched this movie with her once. You see, because of our gigantic amount of things that we've done together, everything there is (that's right, everything!) reminds me of her. I challenge you to come up with something for me to discuss that won't result in me creating a sequence of stories/events that lead me to Heather in some sort of way. Here's an example:
- Ping Pong: leads to Forrest Gump, which leads to the restaurant BUBBA GUMP, which leads to Heather since we've been there a few times for dinner
Not convinced? Here's another one:
- Michael J. Fox: was on SPIN CITY, which was created in part by Bill Lawrence, who also created SCRUBS, which I absolutely love and introduced to Chelsea, who is, in fact, Heather's sister - that easily leads to Heather then. . .
I am the best at this game. Especially since I'm in love.
That just might be the longest post in the history of blogspot.com - - - I wish I could know if that was true. But now, as my eyes well up a bit, and my arms crave to wrap around my girl, and my body lusts for connection (not physical gratification or anything like that, dirty-minds, but simply the closeness of laying next to someone and knowing they aren't moving anywhere) I realize that the five weeks has only just begun. It's funny. You know, the things I'm gonna miss most are having someone to say "Good Morning Beautiful" and "Good Night Heather My Love" to. It's that connection of always being able to text a small message of love and receive a similar "I love you too" back. It's that knowledge that not only is she not just six miles (her Palmdale house) away, not just 90 miles away (her LB apartment), but thousands of miles away and 17 hours ahead of me.
It's going to be a really long time. I'll make it. So will we. And friends (the few who have hung on this long), I promise you that much.
Heather, I love you. And I will miss you oodles! I don't need a koala or any other souvenir. I only need you back.
. . .
. . .
The End.
JUSTIN
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The Weekend Grab-Bag (extended a bit): The Pomona Penny-Pinching Pirate Version
Hello patient readers of this here blog - - - welcome to another. . . . . . GRAB-BAG!
I know it's Wednesday, but give me a little break. Like I said, Heather leaves tomorrow (and yes, I am in denial) for Australia and I have been spending every minute that I possibly can with my better half. Right now, in fact, I'm blogging real fast between dinner with her (and Aimee) and going back to be with her. I gotta get all the Heather I possibly can before she will be about a million miles away (or so it will seem).
So, without further ado, here's what's been going on in my neck of the woods (and not, of course, in chronological order):
- I have been to THE OLIVE GARDEN twice this week. Before this week, it had been about a year since I had been. Wanna know why? Ok, I'll divulge. So Heather and I went there on Monday night for dinner just as a regular date. We both said it had been awhile since we had been there and we also saw a commercial on the television for THE OG (not to be confused with THE O.C. or THE LB) that made us crave breadsticks (yum to the third power). Then, after telling the sister about our dinner the previous night, Heather invited Aimee to dinner there tonight. I got the night off of work (more on work later) so the three of us went there for dinner. I have been completely satisfied with both meals and am now starting to lean back towards THE OG over big bad JC. But don't tell anyone. . .
- Ok, so the Pomona part of the title. Intrigued? Yeah, well it's pretty darn exciting for my wonderful girl. On Tuesday, Barbara (Heather's mom), Heather, and myself went to CAL POLY POMONA to go to a quick meeting she had set up with an advisor of sorts. Barbara and I didn't really have to go, but we're both quite protective of our Heather :D So the meeting went well and it turns out, that Heather will be able to transfer to the school in January of 2007 instead of the Fall of '07 like she had originally thought. CPP, about the same distance from Palmdale as THE LB, is a school that offers a program (Animal Health Science) that CSULB doesn't and that's what Heather is trying to get into. Thus the transfer. She's nervous, excited, and scared (rightfully so) because she just got used to THE LB and would soon be moving to another brand new city. More new roads for yours truly to learn as well. I'm really proud of her.
- And the Penny-Pincher mention? Well last Saturday night Heather and I stayed in and played Scrabble and watched AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (it's an old movie with Cary Grant - we established that George Clooney is probably this generation's Cary Grant while watching). Chels came home from a beach trip or something like that and declared us "old people" for playing the spelling game and such on a Saturday night. I then established the truth that money is very hard to come by (especially when you work very very little - again, more on that later - dang I'm getting ahead of myself a lot!) and that a little frugality is not all bad. Yes, I did go to THE OG twice this week, but I also won't be buying a dinner for two for the next five weeks (unless Cy and I go out to eat ha ha) so I figured that was ok. The more I save, the more I have, and the sooner I can make it legal and completely publicly known that I love Heather Lynn Acuff! That day, which at this point in time, seems so very far away, especially with the possibility of her going to Veterinarian School after Pomona. That's many years away. . .
- And of course the Pirates! On Friday, Heather, Aimee (who seems to be hanging out with me more and more - I'm not complaining) and I went to an early afternoon showing of POTC: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the second viewing for the gf and me, but the first for the hermana. She enjoyed herself quite thoroughly and I actually caught a few more things this time around (like that stupid dice game in the middle - I think I figured it out the second time). O, and my favorite lines (it's a push): "Look! (shoots monkey) An undead monkey! Top that!" and "I've got a jar of dirt! I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!" (I spose context is important to humor. . .) Well that night we got a hankering for more things PIRATES, so we popped in the first one and watched it that night. That's five hours of Johnny, Orlando, and Keira. We were all quite happy, to say the least. . .
- I helped Cyril there get registered for his classes (he will be attending AVC in the Fall) a couple days ago. Because of some good fortune, we were able to get him into two of my classes, including my BIOLOGY LAB. That will certainly make that three hours go by faster! It will be like high school all over again. Well, except for stupid drama. . .
- Thanks Mom-mom for the SUNS hats. The orange one fits awesomely and I have already established it as my hat of the future. The Rambler is again a hat-wearer after quite a lengthy break (it's been since middle school). I'm excited. This has potential. . .
- So, work? Yeah, well this week I will only be working one day (Saturday) cuz I had to make sure I wasn't working tonight (Heather's last night), tomorrow night (taking them to the airport), or Friday night (preplanned Hollywood trip with Justin). Well, they scheduled me on both Thursday and Friday (my first scheduled Friday in almost three months - this was why I thought plans on a Friday would be ok) so I had to ask for them off after being scheduled. None of the TTs would (or could) switch shifts, so I'm left with one this week. Dangit. .
Well, I do believe that you should be content with this amount. I've gotta go and get back for a few more hours of Heathertime. Time is slipping away quickly. I need a PAUSE button. .
Later y'alls. Tomorrow's depressing post should be interesting. . .
- - - Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley): "There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing."
- - - Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in response: "I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by."
JUSTIN
I know it's Wednesday, but give me a little break. Like I said, Heather leaves tomorrow (and yes, I am in denial) for Australia and I have been spending every minute that I possibly can with my better half. Right now, in fact, I'm blogging real fast between dinner with her (and Aimee) and going back to be with her. I gotta get all the Heather I possibly can before she will be about a million miles away (or so it will seem).
So, without further ado, here's what's been going on in my neck of the woods (and not, of course, in chronological order):
- I have been to THE OLIVE GARDEN twice this week. Before this week, it had been about a year since I had been. Wanna know why? Ok, I'll divulge. So Heather and I went there on Monday night for dinner just as a regular date. We both said it had been awhile since we had been there and we also saw a commercial on the television for THE OG (not to be confused with THE O.C. or THE LB) that made us crave breadsticks (yum to the third power). Then, after telling the sister about our dinner the previous night, Heather invited Aimee to dinner there tonight. I got the night off of work (more on work later) so the three of us went there for dinner. I have been completely satisfied with both meals and am now starting to lean back towards THE OG over big bad JC. But don't tell anyone. . .
- Ok, so the Pomona part of the title. Intrigued? Yeah, well it's pretty darn exciting for my wonderful girl. On Tuesday, Barbara (Heather's mom), Heather, and myself went to CAL POLY POMONA to go to a quick meeting she had set up with an advisor of sorts. Barbara and I didn't really have to go, but we're both quite protective of our Heather :D So the meeting went well and it turns out, that Heather will be able to transfer to the school in January of 2007 instead of the Fall of '07 like she had originally thought. CPP, about the same distance from Palmdale as THE LB, is a school that offers a program (Animal Health Science) that CSULB doesn't and that's what Heather is trying to get into. Thus the transfer. She's nervous, excited, and scared (rightfully so) because she just got used to THE LB and would soon be moving to another brand new city. More new roads for yours truly to learn as well. I'm really proud of her.
- And the Penny-Pincher mention? Well last Saturday night Heather and I stayed in and played Scrabble and watched AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (it's an old movie with Cary Grant - we established that George Clooney is probably this generation's Cary Grant while watching). Chels came home from a beach trip or something like that and declared us "old people" for playing the spelling game and such on a Saturday night. I then established the truth that money is very hard to come by (especially when you work very very little - again, more on that later - dang I'm getting ahead of myself a lot!) and that a little frugality is not all bad. Yes, I did go to THE OG twice this week, but I also won't be buying a dinner for two for the next five weeks (unless Cy and I go out to eat ha ha) so I figured that was ok. The more I save, the more I have, and the sooner I can make it legal and completely publicly known that I love Heather Lynn Acuff! That day, which at this point in time, seems so very far away, especially with the possibility of her going to Veterinarian School after Pomona. That's many years away. . .
- And of course the Pirates! On Friday, Heather, Aimee (who seems to be hanging out with me more and more - I'm not complaining) and I went to an early afternoon showing of POTC: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the second viewing for the gf and me, but the first for the hermana. She enjoyed herself quite thoroughly and I actually caught a few more things this time around (like that stupid dice game in the middle - I think I figured it out the second time). O, and my favorite lines (it's a push): "Look! (shoots monkey) An undead monkey! Top that!" and "I've got a jar of dirt! I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!" (I spose context is important to humor. . .) Well that night we got a hankering for more things PIRATES, so we popped in the first one and watched it that night. That's five hours of Johnny, Orlando, and Keira. We were all quite happy, to say the least. . .
- I helped Cyril there get registered for his classes (he will be attending AVC in the Fall) a couple days ago. Because of some good fortune, we were able to get him into two of my classes, including my BIOLOGY LAB. That will certainly make that three hours go by faster! It will be like high school all over again. Well, except for stupid drama. . .
- Thanks Mom-mom for the SUNS hats. The orange one fits awesomely and I have already established it as my hat of the future. The Rambler is again a hat-wearer after quite a lengthy break (it's been since middle school). I'm excited. This has potential. . .
- So, work? Yeah, well this week I will only be working one day (Saturday) cuz I had to make sure I wasn't working tonight (Heather's last night), tomorrow night (taking them to the airport), or Friday night (preplanned Hollywood trip with Justin). Well, they scheduled me on both Thursday and Friday (my first scheduled Friday in almost three months - this was why I thought plans on a Friday would be ok) so I had to ask for them off after being scheduled. None of the TTs would (or could) switch shifts, so I'm left with one this week. Dangit. .
Well, I do believe that you should be content with this amount. I've gotta go and get back for a few more hours of Heathertime. Time is slipping away quickly. I need a PAUSE button. .
Later y'alls. Tomorrow's depressing post should be interesting. . .
- - - Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley): "There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing."
- - - Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in response: "I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by."
JUSTIN
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Patience My People. . .
I have been hanging out with Heather almost all of the time the last few days. I've been trying to get as much Heathertime in as is humanly possible before she leaves on Thursday.
Thus, I don't have time to post right now.
I will give you a preview of the WEEKEND GRAB-BAG to come, though. Here is the potential title:
- THE WEEKEND GRAB-BAG: THE POMONA PENNY-PINCHING PIRATES VERSION
O it'll make sense. But not yet...
Until later, (hopefully sooner)
JUSTIN
Thus, I don't have time to post right now.
I will give you a preview of the WEEKEND GRAB-BAG to come, though. Here is the potential title:
- THE WEEKEND GRAB-BAG: THE POMONA PENNY-PINCHING PIRATES VERSION
O it'll make sense. But not yet...
Until later, (hopefully sooner)
JUSTIN
Friday, July 14, 2006
So Many Things, So Frickin' Late!
So you see the post is from Friday, but if you look at the end of this here post, you'll see that it's actually very early on Friday. It's almost 0200 now. Wow. I got a lot on the ol' mind, so if you'll so indulge me, I'd like to rattle off some new fangled information and other interesting tidbits and all that type of jazz...
- The countdown (a very melancholy one) to Heather's departure for "Down Under" is now at less than seven. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do while she's gone. Five weeks is a really long time without seeing the person you love the mostest. I'm also not sure how much we'll even be able to communicate. With the amount of stuff she is going to be doing while on this voyage, she will have limited access to a communicative outlet. Not even talking to my girl - now I have issues. Tonight at work, I was trying to convince a co-worker that I have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to Heather being in Australia with good-looking (and, to women, good-sounding) Aussies and an 18-year drinking age. I told him to look at my eyes (completely regular; no dilation, blinking, or redness) and see if he saw fear in them. I also explained that our relationship hinges on a little thing called "Trust". You might have heard of it. The only thing I'm worried about is the level of insanity I'm gonna be reaching by about week three.
- Thanks to the four of you (yes, my friends, I said "four") who commented on my last post. That was such a shot of motivation to continue blogging for awhile! O man I was happy getting those e-mails! Responses: 1) To Mom-mom and Pop - yes it is awesome to have such a wonderful girlfriend. I'm very lucky to have her and I'm even luckier to have had her fit so snuggly into my family. 2) To Dad - yes, you do get a prize. It's called another post :D (and maybe a shake very soon). 3) To Aimee Doots - Thanks for the TIN there. You know my annoyances well. And you're rockin' the b-ball. Keep it up! 4) To Natalia - I think you wanted to have even more Justin blogging to catch up on! Ha!! Welcome back (kinda). Hope San Marcos is treating you well.
- I worked Wednesday night and tonight. Hours: about 13. Dolares: about $170. Breaks: worked through them. Tired: You betcha.
- I just watched the last half of THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN on HBO. I absolutely love this movie! It's pretty rough in patches (that "R" rating is earned) but what a heartfelt, honest, funny movie! This one is on my All-Time list for Comedies for sure.
- An exciting announcement: Mr. Devin Thomas, the former DESERT CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL Boys Varsity basketball coach and present Girls Varsity basketball coach, has a new second assistant coach for the 2006-07 season. That's right, folks, it's the Rambler himself. With the amount of time and effort I've already put forth this summer into the girls' practices, Mr. Thomas asked me yesterday if I'd like to join his staff during the season. It works out perfectly for all intents and purposes. The season usually kicks into gear around the first and second week of December. This is when my Fall semester (more on that later) ends. Games usually run through January and into the first couple weeks of February. Playoffs usually begin around Valentine's Day. This is when the Spring semester begins. Isn't that awesome!?! SO, when the time comes, I'm going to be able to go into JOHNNY CARINO's and request certain days/times off so that I can be at my other job. That's cool to me. I'm very honored to be asked by my second basketball mentor (the papa is the original teacher) to help him train young ladies in the ways of the force..er.. basketball. Sorry, I got carried away. I'm excited!
- I forgot to mention last time that I also saw PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST last week (along with about half of America). Congrats to the makers and contributors to the film. While the film is not nearly as good as the original (a second viewing in a few hours may shed some new light on it for me - I'm going with Aimee so she can see it and Heather is joining us), the much-anticipated sequel destroyed box office records this past weekend. Overall, it's a mandatory experience if you saw and enjoyed Part I and it's not a tedious necessary assignment. It's fun, exciting, and action-packed (especially the last hour). It ends suddenly (with cliff-hangers and surprises) but that's just a lead-in to next Summer's final film in the trilogy POTC: WORLD'S END (tentative title of course). Good stuff overall. I can't really complain when I get to watch Johnny Depp for two and a half hours (wait, I meant that in a completely and utterly straight manner. . .). Grade: B+
- So I registered for classes for the Fall 2006 semester at ANTELOPE VALLEY COLLEGE on Tuesday. I'm gonna be a busy sonofagun (break it down slowly...) come September (well August actually, but yeah, you get the gist). Here is my schedule: (the H means it's an Honors class and the name is obviously the teacher's name...)
MONDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
Biology 101 (lab): 1415-1720 Riley
TUESDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe
WEDNESDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
(H) English 102: 1545-1850 Toth
THURSDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe
Psychology 101 Online
Wow, huh?
- I'm really not that tired and it's now 0230. That'll change in about a half-hour. I'm just predicting, that's all.
- I'm trying to get a picture on here, but it's not working. If I can't figure it out, then here is a link to a really cool set of pictures of a sky that features both a rainbow and lightning strikes. Don't believe me? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=395512&in_page_id=1770
- Roger Ebert is in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery last week. I am publicly wishing the quintessential film critic a speedy recovery and a million more reviews that I can read eagerly every Friday morning.
- News out of Las Vegas (the sight of one of the NBA Summer Leagues for free agents, undrafted rookies, and rehabbing players) has Amare Stoudemire, the main man in the middle (Actually, all over) for my beloved Phoenix Suns, performing well on his surgically-repaired knees. Good news for me and my boys, who are suddenly becoming the trendy title pick for next season. Let's just hope they don't disappoint (God knows they have done that enough!).
- The song "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys is the song that most defines mine and Heather's relationship. Just thought you'd like to know.
- Blogging is a lot of work. Especially when I do it. Also just a thought for you...
- I'm looking for a hat store that sells a SUNS hat. I don't know why I want a hat, but I do. No hat store around here sells SUNS hats (I do live just outside of frickin' Los Angeles!) and I don't want to go online and buy one because I don't know my dang head size (only a fitted hat will do). This is my present predicament.
- I got a SEGA GENESIS. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it's still 2006 (not 1996 like you thought when you read that haha). Over the past couple months, you have read that Justin and I have been playing a lot of NINTENDO 64 and some of the older, more-fun games (better graphics does not always equal better gameplay). So, on a sortof whim, I bid on and won a GENESIS package (including 15 games - among them NBA JAM: TOURNAMENT EDITION, MORTAL KOMBAT 2, and STREET FIGHTER 2 - three controllers, and all the plugs/cords) for $47.47 including shipping (and that price is not a joke - I swear it was that exactly!). I have tried out some of the games by myself but it's the multi-player action that I'm really looking forward to. Old school gamin' baby!
- Two "Meh....Crap" movies come out this week (YOU, ME, AND DUPREE and LITTLE MAN) but next week, three films hit the theatres that appear on my Must-See List (CLERKS 2, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, LADY IN THE WATER). To quote a great old SNL skit, "Who are the Ad-Wizards who came up with that one?"
- Right now I'm going to go back up to the top of this here post and work my way back down, bolding and italicising where necessary. This is what takes a long time... That took me seven minutes. Told ya.
Well all, I'm pretty spent now. It's just about 0300 on Friday morning and I have to get up in about six hours or so. We'll see if that happens. . . :D
I hope all of you are well and all. I would hate to think that anyone out there who takes the time to read my ramblings would be having just an iffy time of it all. Things must be ok if you can take the time to read my nonsensical nothingness. Thanks by the way for doing so. It's always appreciated!
- - -
- - -
Goodnight (or good morning, actually),
JUSTIN
- The countdown (a very melancholy one) to Heather's departure for "Down Under" is now at less than seven. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do while she's gone. Five weeks is a really long time without seeing the person you love the mostest. I'm also not sure how much we'll even be able to communicate. With the amount of stuff she is going to be doing while on this voyage, she will have limited access to a communicative outlet. Not even talking to my girl - now I have issues. Tonight at work, I was trying to convince a co-worker that I have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to Heather being in Australia with good-looking (and, to women, good-sounding) Aussies and an 18-year drinking age. I told him to look at my eyes (completely regular; no dilation, blinking, or redness) and see if he saw fear in them. I also explained that our relationship hinges on a little thing called "Trust". You might have heard of it. The only thing I'm worried about is the level of insanity I'm gonna be reaching by about week three.
- Thanks to the four of you (yes, my friends, I said "four") who commented on my last post. That was such a shot of motivation to continue blogging for awhile! O man I was happy getting those e-mails! Responses: 1) To Mom-mom and Pop - yes it is awesome to have such a wonderful girlfriend. I'm very lucky to have her and I'm even luckier to have had her fit so snuggly into my family. 2) To Dad - yes, you do get a prize. It's called another post :D (and maybe a shake very soon). 3) To Aimee Doots - Thanks for the TIN there. You know my annoyances well. And you're rockin' the b-ball. Keep it up! 4) To Natalia - I think you wanted to have even more Justin blogging to catch up on! Ha!! Welcome back (kinda). Hope San Marcos is treating you well.
- I worked Wednesday night and tonight. Hours: about 13. Dolares: about $170. Breaks: worked through them. Tired: You betcha.
- I just watched the last half of THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN on HBO. I absolutely love this movie! It's pretty rough in patches (that "R" rating is earned) but what a heartfelt, honest, funny movie! This one is on my All-Time list for Comedies for sure.
- An exciting announcement: Mr. Devin Thomas, the former DESERT CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL Boys Varsity basketball coach and present Girls Varsity basketball coach, has a new second assistant coach for the 2006-07 season. That's right, folks, it's the Rambler himself. With the amount of time and effort I've already put forth this summer into the girls' practices, Mr. Thomas asked me yesterday if I'd like to join his staff during the season. It works out perfectly for all intents and purposes. The season usually kicks into gear around the first and second week of December. This is when my Fall semester (more on that later) ends. Games usually run through January and into the first couple weeks of February. Playoffs usually begin around Valentine's Day. This is when the Spring semester begins. Isn't that awesome!?! SO, when the time comes, I'm going to be able to go into JOHNNY CARINO's and request certain days/times off so that I can be at my other job. That's cool to me. I'm very honored to be asked by my second basketball mentor (the papa is the original teacher) to help him train young ladies in the ways of the force..er.. basketball. Sorry, I got carried away. I'm excited!
- I forgot to mention last time that I also saw PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST last week (along with about half of America). Congrats to the makers and contributors to the film. While the film is not nearly as good as the original (a second viewing in a few hours may shed some new light on it for me - I'm going with Aimee so she can see it and Heather is joining us), the much-anticipated sequel destroyed box office records this past weekend. Overall, it's a mandatory experience if you saw and enjoyed Part I and it's not a tedious necessary assignment. It's fun, exciting, and action-packed (especially the last hour). It ends suddenly (with cliff-hangers and surprises) but that's just a lead-in to next Summer's final film in the trilogy POTC: WORLD'S END (tentative title of course). Good stuff overall. I can't really complain when I get to watch Johnny Depp for two and a half hours (wait, I meant that in a completely and utterly straight manner. . .). Grade: B+
- So I registered for classes for the Fall 2006 semester at ANTELOPE VALLEY COLLEGE on Tuesday. I'm gonna be a busy sonofagun (break it down slowly...) come September (well August actually, but yeah, you get the gist). Here is my schedule: (the H means it's an Honors class and the name is obviously the teacher's name...)
MONDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
Biology 101 (lab): 1415-1720 Riley
TUESDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe
WEDNESDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
(H) English 102: 1545-1850 Toth
THURSDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe
Psychology 101 Online
Wow, huh?
- I'm really not that tired and it's now 0230. That'll change in about a half-hour. I'm just predicting, that's all.
- I'm trying to get a picture on here, but it's not working. If I can't figure it out, then here is a link to a really cool set of pictures of a sky that features both a rainbow and lightning strikes. Don't believe me? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=395512&in_page_id=1770
- Roger Ebert is in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery last week. I am publicly wishing the quintessential film critic a speedy recovery and a million more reviews that I can read eagerly every Friday morning.
- News out of Las Vegas (the sight of one of the NBA Summer Leagues for free agents, undrafted rookies, and rehabbing players) has Amare Stoudemire, the main man in the middle (Actually, all over) for my beloved Phoenix Suns, performing well on his surgically-repaired knees. Good news for me and my boys, who are suddenly becoming the trendy title pick for next season. Let's just hope they don't disappoint (God knows they have done that enough!).
- The song "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys is the song that most defines mine and Heather's relationship. Just thought you'd like to know.
- Blogging is a lot of work. Especially when I do it. Also just a thought for you...
- I'm looking for a hat store that sells a SUNS hat. I don't know why I want a hat, but I do. No hat store around here sells SUNS hats (I do live just outside of frickin' Los Angeles!) and I don't want to go online and buy one because I don't know my dang head size (only a fitted hat will do). This is my present predicament.
- I got a SEGA GENESIS. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it's still 2006 (not 1996 like you thought when you read that haha). Over the past couple months, you have read that Justin and I have been playing a lot of NINTENDO 64 and some of the older, more-fun games (better graphics does not always equal better gameplay). So, on a sortof whim, I bid on and won a GENESIS package (including 15 games - among them NBA JAM: TOURNAMENT EDITION, MORTAL KOMBAT 2, and STREET FIGHTER 2 - three controllers, and all the plugs/cords) for $47.47 including shipping (and that price is not a joke - I swear it was that exactly!). I have tried out some of the games by myself but it's the multi-player action that I'm really looking forward to. Old school gamin' baby!
- Two "Meh....Crap" movies come out this week (YOU, ME, AND DUPREE and LITTLE MAN) but next week, three films hit the theatres that appear on my Must-See List (CLERKS 2, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, LADY IN THE WATER). To quote a great old SNL skit, "Who are the Ad-Wizards who came up with that one?"
- Right now I'm going to go back up to the top of this here post and work my way back down, bolding and italicising where necessary. This is what takes a long time... That took me seven minutes. Told ya.
Well all, I'm pretty spent now. It's just about 0300 on Friday morning and I have to get up in about six hours or so. We'll see if that happens. . . :D
I hope all of you are well and all. I would hate to think that anyone out there who takes the time to read my ramblings would be having just an iffy time of it all. Things must be ok if you can take the time to read my nonsensical nothingness. Thanks by the way for doing so. It's always appreciated!
- - -
- - -
Goodnight (or good morning, actually),
JUSTIN
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Only Set Reachable Goals
My goal, as I had stated recently, was to reach 182 posts by August 11. I need 30 more.
I don't think it's gonna happen.
I've been recently bored with the idea of blogging and the sometimes tedious nature of the activity. Have no fear, my three readers, I will be blogging with some regularity, but just not nearly as much as one would expect (or hope). I apologize, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way.
Another edit job to my SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW: I am now switching THE LAKE HOUSE with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA frankly because I saw DEVIL and have no intention of going to see the ill-fated Keanu romantic comedy. So with that switcheroo, and with the recent viewing of THE BREAK-UP (I saw it today), I have now seen 11 of the 25 films on that list. I'm getting there folks. Of the remaining films, only POSEIDON and NACHO LIBRE (both films that I am waiting for the $1 theatre for) have been released. O, and AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. I'm working on it. . . So you want grades? Ok folks: THE BREAK-UP (B), CARS (B-), THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (B-)
SO.....
All that's important right now is that Heather is home. For 10 days. Then she's off to Australia. Sad times.
Ya know, I'm again unsure about completing this post. I'll give you this much... O wait! Just because I feel bad about not posting, I figure I'll give you a little odd survey thingy that I got forwarded to me a while back. I know it's lame, but I wanna post a little more and don't care much about reviewing my last week or so. So here goes thsi thing called
FOUR THINGS:
Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. Babysitter for the sister ages ago
2. In a wherehouse packaging gel packs (Hot/Cold Packs)
3. File Clerk at a Surgery Center
4. Presently I am a Table Tender (busboy) at JOHNNY CARINO'S
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. ADAPTATION.
2. GARDEN STATE
3. THE SINGING DETECTIVE
4. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
(Honorable Mention): COCKTAIL
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. SCRUBS
2. THE DAILY SHOW with JON STEWART
3. PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
4. HOUSE
(Honorable Mention): HELL'S KITCHEN
Four places I've been on vacation:
1. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
2. Times Square/Broadway
3. Washington D.C.
4. The WIZARD OF OZ museum in Kansas (no joke)
Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Lasagna
2. Carne Asada
3. Grilled Cheese Sandwich
4. Double Double at IN-N-OUT
Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.comingsoon.net
2. www.espn.com
3. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
4. www.ebay.com
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Next to Heather
2. Next to Heather
3. Basketball court
4. Movie theatre
Four CD’s that will never get old:
1. Weezer - The Blue Album
2. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
3. Garden State Soundtrack
4. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
Four famous people you have met: (I'm changing it to "seen")
1. Paul Haggis (writer/director of CRASH)
2. Bill Cowher (head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers)
3. Jack Nicholson (at a Lakers game - I was about five feet from him!)
4. Kevin Smith (actually, not yet - I will see him on the 21st; more on that at a later date)
Four people actually read this:
1. Dad
2. Mom-mom
3. Heather
4. Cy
There you have it - - more than just a little post! Hope it was enjoyable!
Goodnight all you out there,
Husteen
I don't think it's gonna happen.
I've been recently bored with the idea of blogging and the sometimes tedious nature of the activity. Have no fear, my three readers, I will be blogging with some regularity, but just not nearly as much as one would expect (or hope). I apologize, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way.
Another edit job to my SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW: I am now switching THE LAKE HOUSE with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA frankly because I saw DEVIL and have no intention of going to see the ill-fated Keanu romantic comedy. So with that switcheroo, and with the recent viewing of THE BREAK-UP (I saw it today), I have now seen 11 of the 25 films on that list. I'm getting there folks. Of the remaining films, only POSEIDON and NACHO LIBRE (both films that I am waiting for the $1 theatre for) have been released. O, and AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. I'm working on it. . . So you want grades? Ok folks: THE BREAK-UP (B), CARS (B-), THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (B-)
SO.....
All that's important right now is that Heather is home. For 10 days. Then she's off to Australia. Sad times.
Ya know, I'm again unsure about completing this post. I'll give you this much... O wait! Just because I feel bad about not posting, I figure I'll give you a little odd survey thingy that I got forwarded to me a while back. I know it's lame, but I wanna post a little more and don't care much about reviewing my last week or so. So here goes thsi thing called
FOUR THINGS:
Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. Babysitter for the sister ages ago
2. In a wherehouse packaging gel packs (Hot/Cold Packs)
3. File Clerk at a Surgery Center
4. Presently I am a Table Tender (busboy) at JOHNNY CARINO'S
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. ADAPTATION.
2. GARDEN STATE
3. THE SINGING DETECTIVE
4. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
(Honorable Mention): COCKTAIL
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. SCRUBS
2. THE DAILY SHOW with JON STEWART
3. PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
4. HOUSE
(Honorable Mention): HELL'S KITCHEN
Four places I've been on vacation:
1. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
2. Times Square/Broadway
3. Washington D.C.
4. The WIZARD OF OZ museum in Kansas (no joke)
Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Lasagna
2. Carne Asada
3. Grilled Cheese Sandwich
4. Double Double at IN-N-OUT
Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.comingsoon.net
2. www.espn.com
3. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
4. www.ebay.com
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Next to Heather
2. Next to Heather
3. Basketball court
4. Movie theatre
Four CD’s that will never get old:
1. Weezer - The Blue Album
2. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
3. Garden State Soundtrack
4. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open
Four famous people you have met: (I'm changing it to "seen")
1. Paul Haggis (writer/director of CRASH)
2. Bill Cowher (head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers)
3. Jack Nicholson (at a Lakers game - I was about five feet from him!)
4. Kevin Smith (actually, not yet - I will see him on the 21st; more on that at a later date)
Four people actually read this:
1. Dad
2. Mom-mom
3. Heather
4. Cy
There you have it - - more than just a little post! Hope it was enjoyable!
Goodnight all you out there,
Husteen
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
The Fourth of July Weekend Grab-Bag
Hello all - I'm posting now after a busy weekend that saw relatives come and go through our humble abode as well as me staying out til 0400 in the morning not once, but twice, and culminated in a family movie at the local CINEMARK 22. It's been busy. It's been fun. It's been... awhile since Friday, so bear with me as I try to remember it all :D And because I struggle with my weekend memory (when a lot goes on, it happens), it's gonna definitely follow my usual WEEKEND GRAB-BAG policy: Not chronological :D Enjoy. . .
- Happy Fourth of July by the by. So today was the 230th anniversary of this here country. And America, you don't look a day over 178! (Lame attempt at a joke, I know, but cut me a smidgen of slack please - -) Today I actually slept in til 1300. No, that's not a typo. I'll explain why a bit later (but when you're late to bed, you're usually late to rise), but that kinda threw my day for a loop. I ate a tuna sandwich for lunch (it was yummy) and then the family decided that we were gonna go see CARS at 1550. We did and got out around 1800. The movie you ask? It was pretty good - entertaining at times and funny in parts. But with a running time of over two hours, it kinda drags on in a lot of moments. Besides the boring moments and the at-times sophomoric humor (which can be good at times, but not always - it is a kid's movie though), it follows through like all of the other DISNEY/PIXAR films (o, and stick around during the credits - that's some of the more funny humor in the movie). Grade: B- . . . After the movie, we went back home and I went out back and played a little basketball. When I say I played basketball, what I really mean is that I shot one of those mini-sized basketballs into our hoop at a 7' 6''. This is how I "shoot around". Aimee came out and we played a game of "Around the World" until dinner time. We ate a good dinner (hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, steak fries, cole slaw - - mmmm) and then later we went out front and tried to view some fireworks. Justin gave me some of those Poppers (ya know, little wrapped-up things of gun powder that "pop" and add a little spark when they hit the ground?) the other night so I brought those out and showed Caleb the fun they can be. That was cool. We also frightened the very skiddish sister with a few of them, which was quite the brother thing to do. Now I'm blogging while watching FRIENDS with Aimee. I've got her hooked. What can I say?
- Well that was today. . . and I'm tired of blogging tonight. Sorry. Let's just say that it was a busy weekend and I'll try a recap tomorrow night after work. Thanks for understanding. . .
Until I can post more,
JUSTIN
- Happy Fourth of July by the by. So today was the 230th anniversary of this here country. And America, you don't look a day over 178! (Lame attempt at a joke, I know, but cut me a smidgen of slack please - -) Today I actually slept in til 1300. No, that's not a typo. I'll explain why a bit later (but when you're late to bed, you're usually late to rise), but that kinda threw my day for a loop. I ate a tuna sandwich for lunch (it was yummy) and then the family decided that we were gonna go see CARS at 1550. We did and got out around 1800. The movie you ask? It was pretty good - entertaining at times and funny in parts. But with a running time of over two hours, it kinda drags on in a lot of moments. Besides the boring moments and the at-times sophomoric humor (which can be good at times, but not always - it is a kid's movie though), it follows through like all of the other DISNEY/PIXAR films (o, and stick around during the credits - that's some of the more funny humor in the movie). Grade: B- . . . After the movie, we went back home and I went out back and played a little basketball. When I say I played basketball, what I really mean is that I shot one of those mini-sized basketballs into our hoop at a 7' 6''. This is how I "shoot around". Aimee came out and we played a game of "Around the World" until dinner time. We ate a good dinner (hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, steak fries, cole slaw - - mmmm) and then later we went out front and tried to view some fireworks. Justin gave me some of those Poppers (ya know, little wrapped-up things of gun powder that "pop" and add a little spark when they hit the ground?) the other night so I brought those out and showed Caleb the fun they can be. That was cool. We also frightened the very skiddish sister with a few of them, which was quite the brother thing to do. Now I'm blogging while watching FRIENDS with Aimee. I've got her hooked. What can I say?
- Well that was today. . . and I'm tired of blogging tonight. Sorry. Let's just say that it was a busy weekend and I'll try a recap tomorrow night after work. Thanks for understanding. . .
Until I can post more,
JUSTIN
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