Tuesday, April 29th 2008 - 10:18:06 AM

You may have noticed that I haven't written anything for a while. Not much has changed. Well, I take that back. I was laid off from my job. On the bright side, I will be getting a severance package that is the equivalent of about three months work. I'm starting to get used to this rain. You know what they say. "When it rains... make lemonade." or something like that.

Monday, August 27th 2007 - 06:29:21 PM

• I got a 48hr shutoff notice from PG&E.

• My Internet service was disconnected.

• Both my home phone and my mobile will be disconnected soon.

• I haven't paid my water/sewer/garbage bill in three months and the city has let me know.

• My parents' house is in foreclosure.

• My motorcycle has been in the shop for a month.

• The video card in my computer fried.

• A family friend committed suicide.

• My cousin has breast cancer.

• Two of my four jobs have imposed new restrictions and made new rules that will not allow me to be paid.

• I'm past due on three credit cards and one student loan and they're all calling my home, my mobile, and even work to attempt collection. Soon they won't be able to call my home and mobile though.

• I borrowed my dad's car and it got a flat tire and broke a steering tie-rod.

You know what? That's not even the worst of it. My whole family is dealing with a very serious crisis right now. I can't even talk about that. I'm not feeling very social these days. I'm trying to be positive but day after day things go from bad to worse. So much of it just comes down to money. I need over $3000 just to get out of this month...August. Then there is next month. The bills are insurmountable and even if I sold my house I'd get nothing since the market is bad right now. I could write a lot more but it's depressing. I don't know what to do or how much more of this I can take.

There is a black cloud hanging over me.

Friday, June 15th 2007 - 09:59:45 PM

I've been thinking. I know what I want in a girlfriend. I know what I want in a dog. Some things overlap like loyalty, companionship, nice coat.... wait, that's... nevermind. You can see where I could go with this. Anyway if you know me, my schedule, my beliefs, and my lifestyle you can make an informed choice. If you don't this may be the chance to get to know me. Vote anyway. Vote more than once! Stuff the ballot box. I don't care. Just vote.

Wednesday, April 11th 2007 - 05:03:41 PM

Every Tuesday afternoon the Rosamunde Sausage Grill in San Francisco's Lower Haight has cheeseburgers. They only have them once a week and they are the best burgers in the city. Right next door is the Toronado pub. The Toronado has a most excellent selection of beers and is dog friendly. Yes, I've been there when a dog has sat at the bar on a stool drinking beer. So you can order a cheeseburger from Charlie then go next door and order a beer from Johnny. Charlie will come and yell out that your food is ready and then you can pick it up and bring it into the Toronado and eat it with some awesome beer.

About physical therapy; I had been having some lower back problems. One day, as I was walking down the street toward Rosamunde and Toronado, I saw a $1/minute chair massage on the sidewalk at the Sacred Space Healing Center. 10 minutes and $10 later I was feeling pretty good. Three Black Prince Porters later at Toronado I was feeling even better. Next week, 20 minutes, $20, cheeseburger, and Black Prince Porter. A few more times I even got the full body massage at the Sacred Space Healing Center and then went for cheeseburgers and beer. Well, I can't afford the $75 massages anymore so I sort of deleted that from the regime but every chance I get I go on Tuesdays for the other part of my "physical therapy." In the center photo is Mateo Loco and Jason the Barbarian who were kind enough to join me at "physical therapy" one Tuesday.

If you ever have a Tuesday off you should join me there.

Saturday, February 24th 2007 - 02:41:51 PM

It all started on December 21st, 2006. That was the Winter Solstice and the night of the namesake party where I work on Saturday nights. I sent out an evite and a couple of my friends showed up. It was an awesome evening of food, drink, and live music featuring Shotgun Wedding.

Next was the Ramirez family Christmas dinner. Normally we go to one of the top 100 restaurants in the Bay Area and catch a show. Rather than spend hundreds of dollars apiece, I decided to do something different this year… something humble. So we had a Bob Cratchit Christmas. Goose, applesauce, mashed potatoes, figgy pudding, and tipples (look it up) were on the menu. Pictures available upon request.

Then there was the New Year’s Party at Solstice again. Wow. Kristen and a friend of hers came to that one and we all had a blast. Most of the people we hung out with were people from Solstice that didn’t have to work that night but wanted to be there anyway. It’s that cool of a place.

On January 6th I attended a belt-promotion ceremony at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school that I train at in Carmichael. After six years of training (two of which were on hiatus due to a broken leg) I finally received my purple belt. If all goes well and I don’t get seriously injured, I can expect to get my black belt in about five more years. Yes, it takes that long.

Then back to Solstice for the employee holiday party. “What?” you say. “Aren’t the holidays over?” Yes they are and that is precisely why the party was on January 21st. We waited for the holiday rush to end so that we could close the restaurant to the public. It was catered and we had guest bartenders. The Soul Rebels (http://www.myspace.com/soulrebelsbrassband) were flown in from New Orleans just for that night. They were an awesome hip-hop, funk-‘til-ya-drop, jazz brass band that kept the party going all night.

All in all the last month has been a whirlwind tour of good times spent with family and friends. I’m looking forward to a great year 2007 and I hope to spend some time with you. Ask me about “physical therapy” Tuesdays or maybe we can just hang at Solstice on a Saturday before I clock in.

Happy New Year!!!

Wednesday, December 13th 2006 - 06:01:08 PM

I realize that I have about two friends that actually look at this site and maybe there are some random people that come across it by accident. It is with that knowledge that I am not too worried about writing personal stuff in here.

I have come into some difficult financial times. With my mortgage as high as it is and my salary as low as it is, I need to bring in about $1500 extra a month to just get by. T-shirt business has been slow and that is partially my fault for not advertising more. I do have a few orders coming up soon but not soon enough. I have roommates but the rent I get from them is but a drop in the bucket.

So with all my expenses I find myself short this month. Thanks be to God that my mortgage is covered but I risk having all my utilities shut off, my phone disconnected, my Internet service turned off, my motorcycle repossessed, my insurance canceled, and my credit cards declined to name a few.

I tried going to the bank to get a loan. Yeah, to get deeper into debt. The good news was that my credit was good and that the value of my house had risen. The bad news was that I was declined because my debt to income ratio was not so good.

I had to take a weekend job as a bouncer in S.F. in order to get some cash for food. It's good money but not enough. Ideally I could use some t-shirt business. About 500 shirts a month would be good. You want to help? Send any t-shirt orders you know of my way. For now though, I did what Gary Coleman did. I got approved for $5,000 and have seven years to pay it off. Are you sitting down? At 59% interest rate I will end up paying back over $21,000 for that little loan! That means it will cost me over $16,000 to borrow $5,000. What else could I have done?

The moral of the story is... that you should... uh, don't ever... well, I'm not so sure what the moral is. If you can at all avoid making the Cash Call, please do. Anyway, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thursday, November 9th 2006 - 10:30:30 PM

Usually I try to match this blog with the picture on the home page but today there is no such connection. Dog poo wouldn't be a nice picture for a home page anyway.

I've had worse days. I'm sure you have too yet still I am inspired to write about this one. I guess everything started out okay. It was the afternoon meeting at work that set me off. I could write a whole book about how much I dislike my boss but I won't. He really angered me today and he angered someone else in the meeting to the point of yelling and kicking him out of the room and terminating a 15+ year collaboration. I left the meeting in a bad mood and headed to a place I like to find refuge in.

I saw one of my friends there and she was in tune to the fact that I wasn't in a good mood. It was good to be able to vent to her. It was another person that turned out being rude to me. What is it with these girls? You can't be nice to them without them thinking you want something from them and you can't be mean to them without them telling the whole world what a jerk you are. Not that I would ever want to be mean and I don't think that I am.

So I left there in not so good of a mood either. I came home and just listened to music for about twenty minutes and decided to go for a walk... by myself. I put on my headphones and listened to depressing music and went out in the cold night air. I was walking down the dark path and kicked a few rocks. Turns out they weren't rocks. It was dog poo and I was kicking it.

That's when I was inspired to write about this. How depressing yet funny. I know you laughed when you read about me kicking dog poo. At least my misfortune could bring some joy into someone else's life. I've had worse days. When I wake up tomorrow things will be better.

Sunday, September 10th 2006 - 07:59:02 PM

Normally I'm not a car racing enthusiast. I'm especially not a fan of the oval, if you know what I'm saying, but I had an opportunity to see the Indy Grand Prix at Sears Point* on August 27, 2006. A coworker of mine had free tickets and gave me a couple. The track is less than ten miles from my parents' house so I went with my dad.

First thing my dad and I did when we got to the track was look for earplugs and beer. We then went up to the stands by turn 2 to watch the cars roar by. We were enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze when all of a sudden my dad started spitting out his beer and spraying my leg. Turns out that a yellowjacket had flown into his cup and he drank a big gulp. The yellowjacket never got past my dad's tongue but before it got spit out it stung him. I saw the stinger on my dad's tongue and he said,

"Det it out!! Det it out!! Ah tan't see it!!"

Like the good son that I am I scraped the stinger off my dad's tongue while hundreds of other spectators looked away from the racing action and at us. My dad's tongue didn't swell up but it hurt for days as if he had bit it real hard. I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a picture but a snapshot of my dad's injured tongue seemed wrong.

We weren't supposed to touch the historic Indy cars on display and I even got reprimanded after touching a tire so I took a couple of pictures and with the magic of PhotoShop I was able to get my dad in a car. His tongue was still hurting but he was able to smile. Ah, good times.

Tuesday, July 11th 2006 - 05:30:58 PM

This past Fourth of July weekend found me at the Anaheim Convention Center for the 15th annual Anime Expo. Max Pictures has been filming a documentary for the past couple of years and I have served as second filming unit and sound engineer. If you want to know more about the documentary you should visit the Max Pictures website. As for my experience, let me tell you how that went. I am but a casual fan of Japanese anime and my exposure to it is mainly from my friends Lix & Tami. Probably the most interesting aspect of the whole convention scene was the cosplayers. The word cosplay comes from the two root words costume and…. play. People dress up as characters from their favorite anime and parade around for photo ops and… play. I did not dress up though someday I might.

As a film crew we were given press badges and let me tell you that has its advantages. I waved mine around like a police badge and got away with things that normal attendees could not get away with. Lix was afraid the power would go to my head and that I would use my press status for evil….
or just make Max Pictures look bad. I’m sure he’ll thank though me when he sees the exclusive film footage that no one else had the guts to get. This documentary will shoot to the top of the box office and Max Pictures will be known throughout the land. Mwah ha ha! I would have used my badge to pick up on hot chicks but there seemed to be a lack of them, at least in the over 21 years old category.

Anyway, you can ask me more about the convention in person and check out the photo gallery on the Max Pictures website. Stay tuned for the film soon to be released in film festivals everywhere. Max Pictures. Don't you forget it!

Wednesday, April 26th 2006 - 03:33:44 PM

Gee, what more can I say? SonCinco played twice on Picnic Day. Picnic Day is the University of California at Davis open house. Tens of thousands of people come to Davis to see what the different departments are up to, to watch wienerdog races, put their hand inside a fistulated cow, listen to marching bands, and picnic with friends and family. There are also lot's of stages set up with lots of bands from all genres from punk to Latin Jazz. SonCinco is Latin Jazz. Band members include Antonio, Mateo, Billy, Jorge, Andres, and me.

Wait a minute? Some of you speak Spanish and you're scratching your head. There are six musicians. Why is the band called SonCinco? The answer is I don't know. I didn't come up with the name. I think we would be more appropriately named SonQuatro but we could also be named anything from SonTres to SonSies. We don't have a website and our gigs are few and far between but if you're in our close circle of friends you'll know the next time we play. We're that underground.

Wednesday, January 18th 2006 - 09:30:58 PM

I have a great bottle of '98 Amarone that I've been saving for a long time. Someday I'll open it. Someday I'm going to light the fireplace and those candles that don't get lit unless I have company. There are nice towels, tablecloths, and dishes that never come out of the cupboard. Someday I'll set them out. Someday I'm going back to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Someday I'm going to rent that movie I've never seen. Someday I'm going to put on those nice pants and wear that nice shirt that have been hanging in my closet for years. Point is, I'm saving up all this stuff and waiting for a special occasion and I wait and I wait and I wait. Well I don't think I want to wait anymore.

Tonight I light the fireplace. Tomorrow I go out to eat in the city. Then I'm gonna wear those pants and that shirt. It's time for that wine to stop collecting dust. You want some? Come on over. Seriously. First one to respond gets to drink it with me.

Today is someday.

Wednesday, December 14th 2005 - 09:47:05 PM

You ever break up with someone that you never went out with? No? Well imagine breaking up with someone that you were going out with but then imagine that you never actually went out with them. Confused? Yes. That's how I feel. For the sake of this story (which is true) I am going to change the names of the characters in order to protect them.

Remember the crush? Let's call her Jessica. All the while I was going through the torment of trying to reveal my feelings to her, there was another girl who was there for me. Let's call her Salma. Salma was going through her own relationship difficulties so we sort of had a mini support group of two going on. By the way, I'm over Jessica.

Right away Salma and I hit it off. We IM'd each other every day. We talked on the phone, e-mailed, went out to eat, went to movies, and more. She knew I liked Jessica and I knew she had a boyfriend. Maybe that's why we were so comfortable around each other-- there were no expectations. More than a few people asked what the deal with me and Salma was though. They thought we were going out. But we weren't.

Then one weekend it all went sour. I could write a short novel about all that happened but I won't. Maybe someday I will because there might be a lesson that someone else can learn. I can pinpoint the defining moment in the demise of our friendship and it only got worse after that. She snapped at me and I got quiet. I'll tell you one thing though that I learned from an ex-girlfriend. Always acknowledge the other person's feelings. Whether you think they are right or wrong or justified or not, deal with their feelings first. But that didn't happen with Salma and me.

I tried showering Salma with apologies, understanding, patience, and compliments but nothing I said seemed to help. I tried acknowledging her feelings just like I had learned but that seemed to backfire. People told me to drop it and forget about her but I really didn't want to lose what I thought was a good friend. I tried and ran into a brick wall.

You wanna know the kicker? I don't think Salma ever apologized for anything. And when I tried to apologize to her she said she wasn't interested in my apology. Well I'd sure like hers. She always seemed so irritated with me. No patience, no understanding, no love. She said a lot of things, some of them I thought were downright mean, but one thing she said was true.

"Everything is different now."

I don't know what she was going through and what made her snap but she didn't want to tell me. True I may not have been able to do anything to help but I can listen and I thought she placed more importance on our friendship than that. I felt shut out. I've had to deal with lots of things in my life but who hasn't? I've known girls that had abortions, miscarriages, and that had been raped. I've witnessed death, bankruptcy, suicide, homelessness, bad grades, heartbreak, and more. Life goes on. We make the best of it and everything works together for good for them that love the Lord.

I guess I just came along at a bad time in her life. I hope that I was able to give her some good memories and that she took something positive away from the experience. I can hope that she works out her problems and apologizes to me for what happened but I won't expect it. I still think it's a good idea to deal with the other person's feelings before your own though. It's ironic that the person who helped me deal with another heartbreak was the cause of a more serious one. I miss Salma... well, the old Salma.

Wednesday, November 23rd 2005 - 08:57:45 AM

Well, I did it now. I finally told her. After several failed attempts at meeting up with her personally, I was able to pin her down… figuratively. Only thing is that she still didn’t really respond. She acknowledged the fact that I have a crush on her. She said she’s had an idea for a while but didn’t want to assume anything. But that was it.

So now she knows. I got that off my chest but I was sort of left scratching my head. What now? I still need to tell her that there are things that are important to me like my faith and I would hope that the same things were important to her too. But she never said one way or the other if she had any feelings for me. Hey, if she doesn’t that’s ok. It would suck but I could still go on living. If she does that’s ok too. Then we go from there.

It was tough actually talking to her but I did it. I was shaking a bit and red in the face. What a relief though. I learned a long time ago that anything real important saying needs to be done face to face. If you are mad at someone tell them face to face. If you have special feelings for someone tell them face to face. You can back the special feelings one up with a Hallmark card or something, but e-mailing, IM’ing, or text messaging is unacceptable in those cases. It’s cowardly and insensitive. Don’t get me started. That’s a whole other episode in “The Days of AL’s Life.”

Wednesday, October 12th 2005 - 02:09:51 PM

I give up.

It seems obvious to every one else. How come they all knew I had a crush? It was burning inside me so maybe I let it out. People started asking. People could tell. OK, some of them just read about it here. My point is that the only one that didn't seem to know was her. Maybe she does know. I don't know. I thought I made it pretty obvious. So I take her non-responsiveness as a "No, I'm not interested in you AL."

Some of you may ask, "Well, did you tell her?"

Uh, well... no I didn't. It seemed so elementary school to say, "Hey, I have a crush on you." I figured that with all the attention I was giving her that she might notice, somehow respond, and then I could be in a position to reveal my feelings. But alas, all my advances seemed to go unnoticed. I also didn't want to stick my neck out and then risk rejection.

Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking and I can't help it. I may look scary and unapproachable. I may give off an air of indifference. I may seem stoic and unfeeling. I may seem confident and strong but actually I am very shy and sensitive. My Player's Card was revoked a while ago. I'm not sure how it happened but my friend said I had to turn it in. Confidence is down. My past seems to haunt me and that fact that there is so much of it. That's a tough one to explain.

I don't know what else to say or do. I just give up. No one should have to work this hard. Shouldn't there be chemistry? Shouldn't there be a spark? Shouldn't there be a connection? I melt when I look in her eyes but the fact that I don't do the same for her is a tough pill to swallow.

Anyway, I'm not mad at her. She's done nothing wrong. I still get to be her friend, hopefully for a long time. It's just going to be tough being around her. I tried giving up a couple of times before and failed but I hope that by writing here I'll be able to get over it.

There is someone out there for me.

Thursday, June 2nd 2005 - 03:57:55 PM

Well, it’s official. I have a crush on someone. There will be no hints or names mentioned so don’t ask. I’ve known this girl for less than a year but from the first day I met her I was intrigued. O.K., I guess that “less than a year” thing is sort of a hint so If I’ve known you for more than a year, it’s not you. Only one of my friends actually knows who it is because I’ve told absolutely no one else.

Let me explain what I mean by crush. I’ve not had a crush on a girl for a very long time. That girl two years ago didn’t count. That wasn’t a crush. I just wanted to get to know her and I did. It turns out that she wasn’t the kind of girl I wanted to be involved with. More about that later.

Anyway, back to this other girl. I really like the kind of person she is. I’m trying really hard not to give hints but let me just say this. Not only is she beautiful, she seems virtuous, gentle, and cheerful… the kind of girl that everyone would approve of. One thing I don’t know is what her beliefs are. For those of you that really know me, you’ll know that I’m looking for a girl that shares my beliefs in God, Jesus, and the Bible. I wouldn’t want some girl to change her beliefs just because she had feelings for me though. That happened once already and it didn’t work. I want someone that has genuine spiritual morals that can encourage me to live the life I should and that would pass these attributes onto our children.

No, I’m not going to ask this girl to marry me but I do think about the kind of girl I would want to marry. I don’t separate girls into “girls I would date” and “girls I would marry.” That’s wrong. They are all in the same class and all deserve to be treated with respect. I’m not looking for a fling.

I’ve been scribbling down my feelings about this girl almost every night and losing sleep over it. I don’t think I’m going to lose 25 lbs in three weeks like what happened a few years ago but it’s definitely affecting me. I had to tell someone, everyone, anyone something. Yes, it’s all very cryptic and vague. Maybe I reveal more later but for now this is all I want to say. I have a crush.

Wednesday, March 30th 2005 - 03:33:39 PM

Well, my birthday is coming up. 'Want to know what to get me? Try this list. There is a link at the end that you can cut and paste into a new browser window.

• firewood
• paper towels
• CLR
• laundry detergent
• bleach
• 6 sets of brushed nickel or satin steel door hinges
• cold air return vent register- 14” x 25.5”
• solar tubes (maybe a 14" and a 12")
• boont
• kegerator (a wine barrel conversion would be nice)
• a gardener
• a ladder (to get on my roof)
• “Concrete at Home” by Fu-Tung Cheng
• 9’ X 12’ seagrass rug with black border
• Vanderlei Silva action figure
• leather sofa (contemporary design like this one,… but a three seater.

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=19126&langId=-1&parentCats=10114*10296

Thursday, March 10th 2005 - 08:48:56 AM

Kenta and Toshifumi (K & T) are the two Japanese exchange students that I hosted for a short four weeks. It really wasn't a long enough time to really get to know them. They are both 20 years old from Kobe Japan, and were here with the Yomiuri Study Abroad Program. Toshifumi has five sisters, one of which has been to New Zealand, and he is the first to come to America. He also wants to work in a bank or a post office as a career. Kenta has one older brother who studied cooking in China for three months, and he is also the first in his family to come to America. He wants to be a television or movie actor. There are many stories to tell about their visit but the burning toaster story is the best so far.

Here's a little background; One of their friends spent the night here in my house once and the next morning I offered him some Eggo waffles for breakfast. Up until then K & T had only been eating cold cereal. It turns out they love the waffles. Last Saturday I had to go to work early and left them to get their own breakfast. What could go wrong?

At work I got a phone call from my friend Mateo. He said, "You know your house almost burned down?" Mateo happened to be dropping off some snow gear for the guys to use on their weekend trip to Lake Tahoe. When Mateo drove up to the house, he noticed smoke billowing out on the front patio. He ran in to find K & T fanning the fire with dish rags. Apparently, they had put the toaster setting to DARK DARK DARK and the waffles weren't popping up. Mateo quickly grabbed the burning toaster, unplugged it, and threw it in the sink. Have you ever seen a waffle the size of a silver dollar? One of the Eggos was still glowing red when Mateo pulled it out.

I only have a little blistered paint, some charred cabinets, and smoke damage. Word is that I am supposed to get a new toaster and a couple hundred dollars. Well, K & T expressed enough remorse to make someone cry and offered to help me with repairs. No one was hurt and a good story gets passed along... although I don't know if it is a story with a moral.

Monday, February 28th 2005 - 03:01:00 PM

I don't think very many people read these entries and it is with that illusion that I feel comfortable enough to write some of this stuff. Here's some stuff that has happened to me recently.

I have this friend. Our friendship is an interesting one and has been marked by some shaky times. She knows who she is. I'd venture to say that there has been, and can be, sexual tension between the two of us. It's not what you think. From my POV, I think she's beautiful and I know she's smart and she smells good. I'm not trying to pursue any romance with her though. Maybe that's why there is the tension. I try to treat her special but not so special that she gets weirded out. 'Knowhatimean?

Anyway, much of the news of late has to do with Kenta and Toshifumi, two Japanese exchange students that I am hosting right now. To make a long story short, my friend bailed me out of a little situation and afterwards she told me she did it because she loved me. I know she loves me and I love her too. It was an great feeling to hear it but at the same time I felt bad that I hadn't told her sooner. You never know when you might never get the chance to tell someone you love them... So do it. If you're worried they might take it the wrong way, you can punch them in the arm right after you say it.

Maybe next week I'll write about how my other friend stopped Kenta and Toshifumi from burning my house down. Which reminds me, I should tell him I love him too... then punch him really hard.

.