Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The dover
Seeing this building in the context of now is slightly odd. I think if late nights and mount sims when I think of the Dover.
Devin is driving back from kansas city today with my parents oil car. He is passing through Hay, KS just now, seeing other odd sights of a past life.
I was thinking last night about how fragile life is. How life is really a serious of choices and the consequences. Sometimes actions have consequence that ripple outwards the rest of our lives.
May consequence be kind to us all.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sleep with the Fishes
I had a really wonderful birthday and I'd like to thank everyone that made that possible.
It began Thursday night kickin' it with my boys at Invisible Material rehearsal. We rocked through some new songs and some old ones. Dylan filmed and Moses danced. it was a great time and I look forward to seeing some of the finished product. Robin, being a classy gent gave me a HUGE bottle of Jack Daniels. After rehearsal I played the role of the good boy and went home and went to bed, so as to rest up for the weekend.
Prior to going out Chris, Elaine and Carrie came over to our house. Chris gave me a wonderful Marc Jacobs shirt. I die. I'm very thankful of the shirt. You will like it when you see it on me.
Friday night was the real celebration station. Shenanigans. We began the evening with cocktails at The Big Foot Lodge. The guest of honor, me, was in fine form. While here I received a gift from Devin and Dylan. They were ever so kind in giving me gift cards to Lowe's and Barnes and Noble. Very generous of them, they will be loved for a very long time. Prior to that I was given a wonderful book by Rebbecca and Loren, "I can't fight this feeling anymore". Very nice in deed.
Next up we went headed to The Roost. A rather packed pop corn smelling dump. I could see the potential for charm but it wasn't really delivering.
We ended the evening out at the Griffin, which is my favorite of my near neighborhood bars.
After bar call many folks came over and helped us to break in the new pad, some going so far as to crash on our floor.
Saturday was a lazy day spent recovering. In the evening Angela and I pulled our selves off the floor and drove down to San Diego, where a birthday surprise was waiting. I was very excited.
We got into San Diego late, went directly to her grandmothers, raided her fridge and went to sleep. I had at this point never met anyone to whom Angela is related. And I still would not until the morning.
Sunday morning I woke up very refreshed in the guest bedroom of Angela's Grandmother's house. Angela greeted me as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I was lead towards the kitchen, the closer I got the more amazing the cooking smells became. I met her grandmother, who is so very sweet. She made us an unbelievable breakfast of biscuits and home-made gravy with sausage and scrambled eggs. I have not eaten so well in a long time. I have really missed Grandma Strecker's cooking, this is the closest I could imagine. She was simply so kind and took feeding me very seriously. It made me feel very special and I was glad that Angela let me in to her world. It's nice knowing that there is a little family just 2 hours south of us, where food is plentiful and everything is comfortable.
Finally, bursting with excitement we left the house and headed out in search of my surprise. As we traveled down the freeway I noticed signs for Seaworld. My tender heart beat fast in my chest as I've always wanted to go there. I was over joyed when Angela took the exit headed in that direction.
Upon entering the park Angela grabbed a map and proceeded to dominate it. I found this to be a bit strange for her but really only in an unconscious way. On the way there she had explained that my birthday surprise was a 2 parter. The first part being sea world. As we wondered through Sea world it should have been apparent that Angela was looking for something, but I was missing all the signs.
Finally we came to the Dolphin area and stood by their pool. She pointed to the pool and said "this is part two of your surprise". I was confused. I said what? Perhaps thinking she was going to throw me in and it was a joke. She said "we get to get in there with them". To which I could only reply, "how?".
She had made the reservations earlier in the week. Knowing I have a crush on sea life, especially dolphins. We were ushered into a locker room and given wet suits and before I knew it we were in the pool petting a Dolphin named Ripley. Ripley was amazingly sweet. If you hugged her she would rest her head on your shoulder. Love Bug.
We got to feed her and she splashed us. We hugged and petted her and posed for photographs. All told we got to spend over an hour in the water with this lovely creature. A really wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity.
We wondered around sea world for much of the afternoon. Seeing many nice sights and shows. Afterwards we were famished. Angela's Grandma had been so kind as to give us cash to go eat at Olive Garden. We had amazing food and filled our tummies to the brim.
We stopped at a few little stores for some shopping after this. I found a wonderful tuxedo jacket for 2.75. Happy find.
We went back to Angela's Grandma's house after this and I took a glorious nap. When I woke up we had strawberry short cake and I got to spend time looking at old photographs of Angela and getting to know her Grandma better.
All to soon it as time to head home. I left with a happy heart having done something truly amazing. I also left feeling very happy that Angela has such a wonderful grandma cause she is now my grandma a little bit too. :)
After my long nap the drive home was a breeze. I told Angela to put her seat back and let me drive. She slept the entire way home while I listened to talk radio.
By the time we got home I was still very into my radio program, Coast to Coast AM, So much so that I decided to tune in on the stereo in the living room. Angela has a record player radio unit that is made to look like an old tube stereo, complete with a soft glowing light on the front. I turned out all the lights and sat at the end of the couch Angela was sleeping on. I sat there thinking about times past. Times when Angela's grandmother and my own grandmother were young. Before television this was it. Dark walls and only the pictures in your mind.
My Grandmother Strecker told a story of sitting in her chair listening to a scary radio program, the whole time nervously scratching at the arm of the chair with a paper clip. Apparently in the light of day the damage done to the chair was enough to get her in big trouble.
I'm thirty now and grandma Strecker is gone. Life comes and goes, very fast at that. But the time you are here on earth is yours forever. Everything a person lives is their's and it happens in that time forever, over and over for all eternity. I don't know much about time but I know this to be true, your actions are forever and they ripple out from the point of action and they never end. Do as much as you can with your life because through what you do you live forever.
Kiss a dolphin, it's so worth while.
It began Thursday night kickin' it with my boys at Invisible Material rehearsal. We rocked through some new songs and some old ones. Dylan filmed and Moses danced. it was a great time and I look forward to seeing some of the finished product. Robin, being a classy gent gave me a HUGE bottle of Jack Daniels. After rehearsal I played the role of the good boy and went home and went to bed, so as to rest up for the weekend.
Prior to going out Chris, Elaine and Carrie came over to our house. Chris gave me a wonderful Marc Jacobs shirt. I die. I'm very thankful of the shirt. You will like it when you see it on me.
Friday night was the real celebration station. Shenanigans. We began the evening with cocktails at The Big Foot Lodge. The guest of honor, me, was in fine form. While here I received a gift from Devin and Dylan. They were ever so kind in giving me gift cards to Lowe's and Barnes and Noble. Very generous of them, they will be loved for a very long time. Prior to that I was given a wonderful book by Rebbecca and Loren, "I can't fight this feeling anymore". Very nice in deed.Next up we went headed to The Roost. A rather packed pop corn smelling dump. I could see the potential for charm but it wasn't really delivering.
We ended the evening out at the Griffin, which is my favorite of my near neighborhood bars.
After bar call many folks came over and helped us to break in the new pad, some going so far as to crash on our floor.
Saturday was a lazy day spent recovering. In the evening Angela and I pulled our selves off the floor and drove down to San Diego, where a birthday surprise was waiting. I was very excited.
We got into San Diego late, went directly to her grandmothers, raided her fridge and went to sleep. I had at this point never met anyone to whom Angela is related. And I still would not until the morning.
Sunday morning I woke up very refreshed in the guest bedroom of Angela's Grandmother's house. Angela greeted me as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I was lead towards the kitchen, the closer I got the more amazing the cooking smells became. I met her grandmother, who is so very sweet. She made us an unbelievable breakfast of biscuits and home-made gravy with sausage and scrambled eggs. I have not eaten so well in a long time. I have really missed Grandma Strecker's cooking, this is the closest I could imagine. She was simply so kind and took feeding me very seriously. It made me feel very special and I was glad that Angela let me in to her world. It's nice knowing that there is a little family just 2 hours south of us, where food is plentiful and everything is comfortable.
Finally, bursting with excitement we left the house and headed out in search of my surprise. As we traveled down the freeway I noticed signs for Seaworld. My tender heart beat fast in my chest as I've always wanted to go there. I was over joyed when Angela took the exit headed in that direction.
Upon entering the park Angela grabbed a map and proceeded to dominate it. I found this to be a bit strange for her but really only in an unconscious way. On the way there she had explained that my birthday surprise was a 2 parter. The first part being sea world. As we wondered through Sea world it should have been apparent that Angela was looking for something, but I was missing all the signs.
Finally we came to the Dolphin area and stood by their pool. She pointed to the pool and said "this is part two of your surprise". I was confused. I said what? Perhaps thinking she was going to throw me in and it was a joke. She said "we get to get in there with them". To which I could only reply, "how?". She had made the reservations earlier in the week. Knowing I have a crush on sea life, especially dolphins. We were ushered into a locker room and given wet suits and before I knew it we were in the pool petting a Dolphin named Ripley. Ripley was amazingly sweet. If you hugged her she would rest her head on your shoulder. Love Bug.
We got to feed her and she splashed us. We hugged and petted her and posed for photographs. All told we got to spend over an hour in the water with this lovely creature. A really wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity.
We wondered around sea world for much of the afternoon. Seeing many nice sights and shows. Afterwards we were famished. Angela's Grandma had been so kind as to give us cash to go eat at Olive Garden. We had amazing food and filled our tummies to the brim.
We stopped at a few little stores for some shopping after this. I found a wonderful tuxedo jacket for 2.75. Happy find.
We went back to Angela's Grandma's house after this and I took a glorious nap. When I woke up we had strawberry short cake and I got to spend time looking at old photographs of Angela and getting to know her Grandma better.
All to soon it as time to head home. I left with a happy heart having done something truly amazing. I also left feeling very happy that Angela has such a wonderful grandma cause she is now my grandma a little bit too. :)
After my long nap the drive home was a breeze. I told Angela to put her seat back and let me drive. She slept the entire way home while I listened to talk radio.
By the time we got home I was still very into my radio program, Coast to Coast AM, So much so that I decided to tune in on the stereo in the living room. Angela has a record player radio unit that is made to look like an old tube stereo, complete with a soft glowing light on the front. I turned out all the lights and sat at the end of the couch Angela was sleeping on. I sat there thinking about times past. Times when Angela's grandmother and my own grandmother were young. Before television this was it. Dark walls and only the pictures in your mind.
My Grandmother Strecker told a story of sitting in her chair listening to a scary radio program, the whole time nervously scratching at the arm of the chair with a paper clip. Apparently in the light of day the damage done to the chair was enough to get her in big trouble.
I'm thirty now and grandma Strecker is gone. Life comes and goes, very fast at that. But the time you are here on earth is yours forever. Everything a person lives is their's and it happens in that time forever, over and over for all eternity. I don't know much about time but I know this to be true, your actions are forever and they ripple out from the point of action and they never end. Do as much as you can with your life because through what you do you live forever.
Kiss a dolphin, it's so worth while.
Going to have to get dirty
Monday, March 23, 2009
Most Eventful
So I'm thirty now and it's better than anyone ever lead me to believe. everyone I know, with the exception of 2 people have been lying to me about what it's like to get older. It is totally frickin awesome and you get to pet dolphins. Yes. Thats right. You get to pet dolphins when you turn thirty. Everyone whines about how your body doesn't work like it used to anymore and yada yada yada. It's all bullshit. It's simply a cover they use to hide that fact that when you turn thirty you get to pet a dolphin and they don't want to share that because it's awesome so they make aging unappealing in hopes that some people try and pull some peter pan stuff and not age. Thats the logic of us oldsters. We are tricky and selfish. We've been around this block and that block and we've seen the truth. We have petted the mystical dolphin and it is good. we have been to the other side and come back with the faint smell of seafood on our hands and our hair still wet and we are wanting to keep these feelings for ourselves.
Seriously, everyone turn thirty tomorrow and I promise that within 72 hours you will get to pet a dolphin. If that doesn't work for you than you probably didn't turn 30. Or your girl friend doesn't rock. One of those two things is the problem.
Seriously, everyone turn thirty tomorrow and I promise that within 72 hours you will get to pet a dolphin. If that doesn't work for you than you probably didn't turn 30. Or your girl friend doesn't rock. One of those two things is the problem.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Return trip
Back at the Bob Hope Airport Metrolink station. Another day of work checked off the calendar and marked on the time sheet. I was hesitant about going back to a life of bummed rides and public transport but its really not bad. Right now there is a wonderful breeze and the sun is shining. I don't have to stress about traffic and or worry about the best route home, I just gotta be.
It has been a nice day today. I did good at my job and communicated with people I love. Tomorrow I hope to do more of the same.
First Run Steps in the New Hood
I spent my first two weeks in the new apartment working out in the fitness center of the new apartment complex. It was a nice change of pace and good after running on concrete all winter long to go low to no impact on the Elliptical machine, as well as get to do some weight training. I intend to continue doing weight training and some cardio sessions on the machines but I want to intersperse it with some serious Griffith Park runs.
Last night was my first outdoor run since moving. It was amazing. I headed up Los Feliz Blvd toward Griffith Park. It felt nice to be back in the open air. The sun was still up even at 6:30 in the evening but the light wasn't so direct anymore. I had a vague notion that I'd go look for the old Los Angeles Zoo on my run.
I had a decent idea where it was and after another half hour of running I found it. It was a ghost town in the park as the sun was setting. If that sight was ever going to be really creepy it was being there alone as the sun was setting.
I soon left the site of the old zoo and headed back towards a tunnel I had passed on my way through the park, thinking that it appeared to head under the freeway, which would cut off a considerable amount of crossing traffic on my way to the park. Well, really just one bad intersection with a freeway off ramp.
The Tunnel was a bit creepy too, being as dark as it was. Luckily I'm not so small. I wasn't to afraid to run through it. Turns out it's an Equestrian tunnel which allows people on horseback better access to the park. How fun that must be. Sure enough the Tunnel Popped out on the other side of the 5 freeway on the bike trail wich runs along the LA river. I was very happy to make this discovery.
I ran home smiling feeling very happy to live in a new neighborhood surrounded by so much nature and so many new adventures.
I'm about to turn 30 years old. I have a new apartment and a girlfriend I love. Life is still nice. As the inside of apartment comes more and more together the outside opens up and reveals to me more secrets of a happy existence.
Added bonus. I'm getting a new computer desk for my birthday, thanks mom and dad! We wanted to upgrade the keyboard and mouse to wireless, since the old ones were crappy and worn and we didn't really want all the ugly cords about. Oddly enough the other day as we were getting out of the car in our new building we noticed that there was a keyboard box sitting on a chair in the garage in the are near the trash. I at first walked past it but then I had second thoughts, maybe there was something more to this... I opened the box and found a wireless mouse and keyboard... but no way it works right... Well, a battery change later and it means business! A nice totally clean and working wireless mouse and keyboard for free! Happy happy.
Last night was my first outdoor run since moving. It was amazing. I headed up Los Feliz Blvd toward Griffith Park. It felt nice to be back in the open air. The sun was still up even at 6:30 in the evening but the light wasn't so direct anymore. I had a vague notion that I'd go look for the old Los Angeles Zoo on my run.
I had a decent idea where it was and after another half hour of running I found it. It was a ghost town in the park as the sun was setting. If that sight was ever going to be really creepy it was being there alone as the sun was setting.
I soon left the site of the old zoo and headed back towards a tunnel I had passed on my way through the park, thinking that it appeared to head under the freeway, which would cut off a considerable amount of crossing traffic on my way to the park. Well, really just one bad intersection with a freeway off ramp.
The Tunnel was a bit creepy too, being as dark as it was. Luckily I'm not so small. I wasn't to afraid to run through it. Turns out it's an Equestrian tunnel which allows people on horseback better access to the park. How fun that must be. Sure enough the Tunnel Popped out on the other side of the 5 freeway on the bike trail wich runs along the LA river. I was very happy to make this discovery.
I ran home smiling feeling very happy to live in a new neighborhood surrounded by so much nature and so many new adventures.
I'm about to turn 30 years old. I have a new apartment and a girlfriend I love. Life is still nice. As the inside of apartment comes more and more together the outside opens up and reveals to me more secrets of a happy existence.
Added bonus. I'm getting a new computer desk for my birthday, thanks mom and dad! We wanted to upgrade the keyboard and mouse to wireless, since the old ones were crappy and worn and we didn't really want all the ugly cords about. Oddly enough the other day as we were getting out of the car in our new building we noticed that there was a keyboard box sitting on a chair in the garage in the are near the trash. I at first walked past it but then I had second thoughts, maybe there was something more to this... I opened the box and found a wireless mouse and keyboard... but no way it works right... Well, a battery change later and it means business! A nice totally clean and working wireless mouse and keyboard for free! Happy happy.
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