Well guys... it's been a good run.  Maybe next year.

 Dammit Magic!!!

 * As an English major who never reads, seeing this makes me incredibly ready to read again.

* I threw up this morning after eating violent seaweed salad for dinner last night.  It was good, but the length of the seaweed was longer than spaghetti noodles (and much tougher to chew on).  But it's okay, because I had an ice cream sandwich and smoothie today.  Planet Smoothie employs all my future girlfriends.

* Magic vs. Detroit = Difficult.  Magic vs. Detroit - Chauncey Billups = Level playing field.

In the past 13 days, 7 of them have been ones spent drinking.  There goes my diet...

I believe in Magic again...

My life has taken quite a few unexpected turns in the last five years. Today, I was in a place I had never imagined myself ever being in... the Arnold Palmer (or Bay Hill) Invitational. One of the weirder days/situations of my life. It was a good day, for sure, but seriously... a golf tournament?

Anyway, my buddy Thomas and I took a joyride on the golf cart and he made the (accurate) observation that most of the girls there (95% of them being white) were really good looking. But then it made me think... would I date the hottest girl in the world if she were a golf fanatic? Then I started thinking about an around the way girl again.

Oh yeah, Lelaina's retired... I got a new accordion.

I Am A: True Neutral Elf Barbarian (3rd Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-13

Dexterity-18

Constitution-12

Intelligence-14

Wisdom-19

Charisma-12


Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.


Race:
Elves are known for their poetry, song, and magical arts, but when danger threatens they show great skill with weapons and strategy. Elves can live to be over 700 years old and, by human standards, are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves are slim and stand 4.5 to 5.5 feet tall. They have no facial or body hair, prefer comfortable clothes, and possess unearthly grace. Many others races find them hauntingly beautiful.


Class:
Barbarians are brave, even reckless, and their warrior skills make them well suited to adventure. Instead of training and discipline, barbarians have a powerful rage that makes them stronger, tougher, and better able to withstand attacks. They only have the energy for a few such displays per day, but it is usually sufficient. Constant exposure to danger has also given barbarians a sort of 'sixth sense,' the preternatural ability to sense danger and dodge attacks, and their running stamina is legendary.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

I've never actually formed emotional bonds with animals.  I mean, pets are okay and I'll play with them and they're fun... but they've never meant anything more to me than just animals.  Like, I've never felt like any of the crazy cat ladies I work with.  It's not that I'm heartless, I just prefer humans.  But I've become quite attached to the cranes who visit our backyard on a daily basis.

There's a lot of mythology around cranes and they're beautiful creatures.  Weeks ago, a crane couple started walking in our backyard.  At first, they stayed at a distance, but they warmed up to us and now they hang out in the patio sometimes.  Well, in our living room, we have paintings and printed panels of cranes.  The husband always walks up and knocks on the sliding door because he wants to come in and hang out with these painted cranes.  Poor guy.  I think this couple got lost from their tribe and now spend their days in the shrinking forest near our house.  They're probably lonely.  Well, yesterday and today... only the husband showed up.  His knocking is more aggressive.  He wants to get in because he thinks the crane paintings are real.  I'm a little afraid... I hope his wife is okay.  I hope she hasn't passed away.  I don't know exactly how healthy they are when their main source of food is bugs from the retention pond.  It breaks my heart.  And I know she didn't leave him, as cranes mate for life.  I just hope she's okay.  I really feel for that family.  Oh, maybe she's pregnant or just had babies?  And the husband wants to introduce his still life "friends."  That's it, think positive.

Speaking of married couples, I went to another wedding yesterday.  Jannet's.  I think I was this close (this being "very") to running into the one girl I really liked back in '03.  But yeah, who's going to remember me from five years ago.  Besides, I did my, oh-I'm-going-to-have-to-be-extroverted-today nap-before-extroversion-time-to-simulate-the-feeling-of-being-on-drugs thing.  So yeah, another good day marked by fleeting moments of happy memories.  Ahhhh... I love people.

It should come to no surprise that this website has quickly become my favorite thing on the internet (and it should become your favorite, too).  Now, I've been called many things in life, but "white" has never been one of them.  However, in an effort to stay black, I should probably list the #'s that apply to me.  After all, the first step in correcting a problem is acknowledgment.

#4 Assists: Now this one can pass for black (pun intended).  Sure, the most celebrated flashy passers were white (Bob Cousy, Pistol Pete Maravich, Steve Nash), but let's not forget about Magic Johnson.  True, he does make Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X, but he's still black... like Michael Jackson.
#12 Non-profit Organizations: Well, I work for one.  But it's more of a sell-out move than a passion.
#38 Arrested Development: Her?
#57* Juno: While I feel the film is a fine piece of work, I'm adamantly against everything Diablo Cody represents (ask Tony to articulate my disgust... he's funnier at it).
#77 Musical Comedy: Sometimes I wonder if this is the genre The Defilers fit into... and then I cry.

Every day, something good regarding Orlando happens.  Dwight Howard just made it cool to live in O-town again.  Maybe I won't move back to CA.

 Tagged by bellafantasia

a. list seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself
b. tag seven people to do the same
c. do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it"

1. The office is not only a place where I work to get paid.  I work on several personal "improvement" exercises such as writing daily horoscopes with my left hand, looking behind me through window reflections to see if I'm about to get in trouble for answering Five for Friday's, and twirling pens with my fingers.  I practice the latter, because some day, I'd like to be like Calvin Murphy, except without the 14 illegitimate children.
2. Guitar pedals have always been my weakness, but pink pedals especially so.  Maybe it's superstition, but to me, pink pedals sound better than the rest.  Plus, there's the odd gratification of stepping on a pink fuzz pedal and getting thick feedback through the speakers.

3. The appeal of numerology stemmed from wanting to know what made me the inconsistent individual I am.  Every number tells an accurate story.  Also, I studied numerology because I got sick of the accusations that I used astrology to "pick up chicks."  Astrologically speaking, I can pinpoint every planetary alignment to prove them wrong.

4. I'm a perpetual gum chewer, like Pat Riley or Paul Weller.  The evidence is in the shoebox I carry to work.  I could carry a briefcase, but it wouldn't have enough room for this here gumball.

5. Another distinct factor of my personality is the way my memory banks work.  When I encounter a person, place or object that emotionally resonates with me, I'll remember the way I felt during the situation rather than the physical or sensory aspects.  I've been biking to this location for seven years, back when it was an empty field.  Now there is a wall, houses... development.  I can't remember what it once looked like, but I still feel the same mystical feeling when I pass by.

6. I average about 100 new CD's every year.  This year has been bad, though, as I've surpassed half of my average in less than one month.

7. The first time my cousin took me to the shooting range, he loaded his .45 automatic and handed it to me.  First shot off was a bullseye, which startled me to the point where I could not shoot well for the rest of the night.  Like, MacGyver I don't like guns.


Tags: "whoever wants to do it." Numerologically, I have trouble following rules.
hardcorehuntin
ilikemusic
lowstatic
m0836296
maggie226
robertaroberts 
whiskeyson

2007

10 Best
+ JR getting me back into basketball
+ Accomplished my goal: four records in one year
+ Increased psychic sensitivity (the world is more beautiful when you can see invisible phenomena)
+ Steady paychecks
+ Spent quality time with my Canadian cousins
+ Hung out with my brother at least twice this year
+ This year was so bad, I can't even come up with ten

10 Worst
+ My grandmother passing away
+ Didn't spend as much time with friends
+ Physically less healthy this year
+ My job fluctuates in mood but is frequently boring
+ Increased psychic sensitivity (the world is more horrifying when you can see invisible phenomena)
+ The Spurs won the championship... Tim Duncan needs to meet Tonya Harding's hitman
+ Absolutely no travel at all this year
+ Constant failure in everything I pursued
+ This December being one of the hardest months of my life
+ Oh yeah... and this whole year was one of the worst of my life, too

Life Lessons
The hate that you take is equal to the hate that you generate... so it's best to abandon emotions

Mistakes And Regrets
Learning how to be patient when I shouldn't be and losing my patience when I should be keeping it (the theme of this year was patience in the face of constant delays)

Resolutions for 2007
+ Write in here less... especially personal stuff
+ Spend less time focused on spiritual matters and try to engage more in the sensual
+ Not necessarily conquer stage fright, but make some progress
+ Focus on becoming a better partner/team player (or I suppose, boyfriend/band member)
+ Be more practical in dealing with issues

Jan 1: Luke & Laura's wedding.  It was nice because it was way out in Lake County, which meant driving at night under a beautiful moon and no streetlights.  It was a classic feeling.  I pretty much tried to only hang out with Jason at the wedding, though, because I was feeling way shy.
Jan. 31: The quintessential nostalgic 80's L.A. moment: at the Pine Hills oriental market, I bought a bottle of Sarsi as Don Henley's "Boys Of Summer" came on the radio as a muscular, long-haired guy who looked like he belonged in Double Dragon walked by.
Feb. 9: My brother came home for his birthday so we got to hang out for a couple weeks.  I bought him a Wii because he's a pretty good guy.  Oh yeah, and I had lunch with Greg that day after not seeing him for months.
Mar. 13-14: Working in the mail (ie. male) room of CNL and for the first time experiencing what it's like to work in a unisex environment.  We watched TV, DVD's, ate pizza, took as many breaks for as long as we wanted, and they even had ESPN magazines in the restrooms.  And that place was clean.  And I found Phil Ochs' Pleasures Of The Harbor, which must have been willed into existence because I drove around Barnett Park and listen to "The Party" over and over during all my Lakeside lunch breaks.
Mar. 17: Carnival day.  And Steven Segal day.  Steven Segal was not a carny, however... no, he's actually dead.  He fell out of a plane.
Mar. 31: The first worst day of the year.  A bad psychic reading made me nearly inconsolable until I watched the Stiff Records film and saw Wreckless Eric do "Whole Wide World" and Tracey Ullman sing "They Don't Know."  That's why pop music is my favorite kind... it can turn around a bad day... even if that good feeling only lasts 3 minutes.
April 2: Started temping at Foundation.  The start of a regular paycheck.
April 14: The day Josh rapped.  Mega-dope, straight to the veins, yo.
April 24: JR and my grandparents coming from Canada to stay for a while.  JR got me back into basketball, big time.
May 29: That was a very nice night.  Aaron was in town and I visited him and then met Emily.  Wow... that feeling was love.
June 8: The day when unreliability actually led to a perfect day.  Everyone at work was being cool about me being lazy during the afternoon.  Then I flaked on my friends, skipped town to see a rocket launch up close, watched Erica in Proof, met Cheryl and talked for a long time, and then took the 408 home and listened to Galaxie 500.
June 29: My mom's 50th birthday, with dinner at Emeril's.  Also, Dan Defile's farewell party, which was bittersweet.  I mean, he's my entry point to the Six Degrees of Airborne.
July 7: Triple Seven was just as special as Triple Six with Leigh was.  Different though.  But I will say this... walking out on long piers under an umbrella into the black, foggy night as heat lightning flares in the distance... that's a magical feeling for a magical evening.
July 27 - Sept. 7: Venus in Retrograde, which kinda sucks dick but is also responsible for providing opportunities to seeing so many VIPs I rarely see, like Holly, Dana, DDR crew (that's not Dance Dance Revolution, btw), Jason, Jaye, Leigh, etc.
Aug. 6: The day a mosquito bit my dick.
Aug. 8: The day I found out I'm one-hit wonder.
Aug. 17: Seeing Leigh for the first time in over a year.  We went to Magic Mall and sat on an island in Barnett Park.  And it was then I realized I wasn't in love with her anymore... and that was comforting.
Aug. 23: Greg's birthday!!
Sep. 8: Maria's post-b-day day.  First time hanging out in Olde Town in a long time.
Sep. 15: It was Troy's birthday, but I received the present.  Free mountain bike from my aunt.
Oct. 2: This was actually a really horrible, patience-tester day, marked by traffic, people forgetting my food orders, trying to sleep while standing in the crowd, etc.  But once I saw Jenny, things got better.  And when she looked at me... my God.
Oct. 27: Maria took me to Outback Steakhouse (in Montreal) and bought me Espresso rubbed steak.  That was the start of the incredible trend called three-day steak streaks.
Nov. 23: Charlene's wedding, which was pretty nice.  But this was also the day where my patience finally broke.  It was the day where things started to collapse.  However, I felt very Dawson's Creek sitting on Seg's dock, under the moonlight, listening to Yo La Tengo and Neil Young.
Dec. 1: Biking with Rachel on the Cady Way Trail.  Not getting beat up by Baldwin Park thugs.
Dec 23: Jason's wedding, which made me very happy and very sad.  Happy because my good friend got married, sad because I felt even more distanced from all the high school kids.
Dec. 29: After a rather dramatic Christmas, I was able to just have a great day being a good older cousin to Brad and Brit, and a better brother to my own brother.  Crazy Buffet, suckas!!

Sunday, Dec. 30, will be the 2nd (annual?) Defilers (singular?) show at Stardust.  We'll be opening up for our buddy, Aaron Roche, who says he'll be doing a rock show (!!) with drums (!) and volume (!) and rock covers (like Deerhoof!?).  We'll be doing a much more basic set (electric guitar and fuzz pedals).  I'm all very excited and nervous about this, but I still encourage you to come by.  And let me know what I should cover (since I don't feel like playing too many Defilers songs) and if you'd like to sing on anything (like Tugboat Tony).  I can't make any promises and I don't really any time to practice with anyone and I'll probably act weird (as I always do when I'm onstage), but any input would be appreciated.  Thanks.

The run-down of what happened: it sucked... ass.  And I'm embarrassed.  And I feel awful.  And I don't even want to show my face in public.  And I don't want to play live again.

But then again, I never thought I'd record after a failure of a record back in 2003... but I did... prolifically.  So maybe I just have to wait for my late bloomer tendencies to take over.  Because man... last night was horrible.

Thank you everyone for making me feel better.  Every day gets a little better.  I gotta say, though, special thanks to coffeefortwo for getting this started.  Really helps me get my mind off things.  And just for that, I'm dedicating one of these quotes just for him (he'll know it when he sees it).

Here are the guidelines:

A. Pick 16 of your favorite movies.
B. Then pick one of your favorite quotes from each movie.
C. Post them in your journal.
D. Have those on your friends list try to guess what the movie is.
E. Strike out the quote once it has been correctly identified and place the guesser’s username directly after the quote.

Strictly 90's edition:

1. "I like Patricia.  I love Patricia.  Patricia makes coffee nervous" (1998)
You've Got Mail, coffeefortwo

2. "Just look inside yourself and you'll see me waving up at you naked, wearing only a cock ring" (1990)
Pump Up The Volume, whiskeyson

3. "Let me tell you something son, you get that hatred out your heart, or you'll end up just another nigga, like your father" (1998)

4. "All I can tell you is that he's gay! GAY! GAY! GAY!" (1999)

5. "Could I speak to the drug dealer of the house, please?" (1993)
Last Action Hero, hardcorehuntin

6. "Let me tell you about stylin'.  I'm talkin', the perfect A-frame wave spittin' salt water in your face.  I call it 'liquid draino, wanna be bullwinkle,' I tell you no lies, my friends.  It's the consciousness." (1993)

7. "Stop eating my sesame cake... STOP EATING MY SESAME CAKE!!" (1995)

8. "Come on, Barry. That's it. Use your legs" (1992)
Sidekicks, hardcorehuntin

9. "I'd like to apologize to you gentlemen for referring to you all as homosexuals. You taught me a valuable lesson in life." (1990)
Wild At Heart, coffeefortwo

10. "The Red Man ain't got no problem with the Black Man. As for you, White Boy, that's a whole different story. I mean, first you enslave the Black Man, exploit the Yellow Man, and then you kill off the Red Man so you can snatch up his land for railroads. Can I get a witness?" (1993)

11. "Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment" (1990)
The Godfather Part III, hardcorehuntin

12. "Well-well look. I already told you: I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don't have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?" (1999)
Office Space, lowstatic

13. "I've never seen so many dead hookers in all my life! " (1999)
Dirty Work, lowstatic

14. "You guys are really pissing me off. This is cutting into my drinking time!" (1993)

15. "I hate kids. They're barely human. " (1992)
Mighty Ducks, hardcorehuntin

16. "Speak into the microphone, squid brain!" (1991)  

All I'm going to say is... I didn't think this year could get any worse... but it did.

What I Want For Christmas:

a) Travel, travel, travel... the Pacific Ocean summons
b) Less stage fright so I don't end up like Cat Power
c) A non-promiscuous computer that doesn't contract AIDS
d) Orlando Magic to make it to the third round of the playoffs (Grant can have the championship)
e) When political and social climates are tense, great art emerges... I want four years of lousy art
f) Lower blood pressure and body temperature so I don't feel like a microwave all the time
g) Marissa Gumball to grow bigger than my palm can grasp
h) Right after declaring a desire to be a comedy writer, the strike started. Bring back Halpert, Hollywood
i) Pedal board, 12-string guitar, sitar, and as much as I love Lelaina, it's time for a new accordion
j) Quality restaurants in downtown Apopka. Captain and the Cowboy is "too far"
k) To actually meet Jenny Lewis again and not be so star struck that I panic and run away... again
l) A year of faster days and slower weeks. Basically, the opposite pace of this year
m) Better proficiency at ambidexterity
n) Even more space for CD's... maybe a revolving mini-tower... or two
o) To learn how to be a better partner and team player (but if I had to choose one, it'd be partner)
p) All my friends to have one of the dopest years of their lives
q) Good astrology reports for '08. The Yearly horoscope for '07 couldn't hold a candle to '06's.
r) To write one damn song that makes me break down and cry and send shivers down my spine
s) Bi-monthly try-a-new-restaurant days. Expand the taste buds, expand the mind
t) Artwork for my room
u) The kind of luck that would turn a good man good again
v) Either a new friend in Apopka or any of my friends to move closer to Apopka
w) A day that feels like a musical... like Mama Mia! or Phantom of the Opera
x) More parties. And not political parties, but real parties, with boys, music and potato chips... and drugs!!
y) Any of my favorite awful early 90's movies (ie. Airborne, Sidekicks, etc.) on DVD
z) A weight-loss program for Santa. He needs to be healthy to grant wishes, bishes

As it is, I already have a pretty coggy life, but today was all about coggy timing. Every time I consciously did the countdown at a stoplight, my timing was perfect. 5-4-3-2-1-Green. And after coming home and starting up the computer, I went to ebay to bid on a guitar pedal. I was planning on bidding $155, but I wasn't even sure if the auction was still running because I wasn't aware of when it was going to end. Sure enough, when I checked it and the page loaded up, 2m35s. That's 155 seconds. So at least for today, my timing was not flawed, Ian Curtis. The tiny irony is that it's a delay pedal, so that should provide hours of fun... fun... fun... fun...

I think this is the first weekend where I realized that being 24 may be like being 22 pt. 2. Maybe not as incredible as being 22 was, but a subtler version. And I like things subtle. Like, this weekend... it wasn't a good weekend. It was a subtly great weekend. And watching the Magic beat L.A. was the perfect cap after a weekend of Viet Garden, pomelo party, ostriche burgers, Magic vs. Phoenix (actually, I'd like to forget about that), working hard to be 7/8 done with the next Clique record, adequate sleep, bicycling and bubble tea with Keene (and not getting beat up by the gangs of Baldwin Park), laundry, indepth convos with Seg and Troy, feeling like I'm 13 years old again at Dinosaur Jr., and then driving downtown listening to Suicide. And the weather is even nice.

I know, I know... I'm really content. How boring to read, right?

My brother's supposed to be home any minute now. I'm surprised he isn't yet. But looks like it's going to be a good five day weekend.

Kinda surreal day (ie. feeling like I'm on drugs). I don't even feel conscious as I'm typing this. I like this feel. Sorta out of my body. Like, I backed my car into some other dude's car because I'm so unconscious today (he was pissed... and this occurred in the Murder Miles of Orange Blossom). Maybe it came from the two slices of pecan pie, and slice of apple pie, and brownie. Food = drugs, except better tasting.

But one concrete thing that bothers me is that I don't know how to feel about the Trevor Ariza trade. Yeah, I'm totally a jock, again. And I jumped on the Magic bandwagon. But hey, I'm glad this was the year for me to get back into basketball.