The Lion of the Left
I worked at the Arena on Monday night as the Warriors took down the New Orleans Hornets and when I went home I popped into the celica with no radio. I bring with me this cheap little radio that gets some am and fm stations but unfortunately the signals get dropped closer and closer to Vallejo. My favorite thing to do is to tune into KGO 810 with Bernie Ward, the Lion of the Left. He is in my opinion one of the strongest voices out there for progressive thinking and can battle with anyone. As he took a call from a Bush apologist and the caller ran down right wing talking point after right wing talking point, Bernie took him down point after point. At this time though, my radio was dying so I said screw it. I called 415-808-0810 so I could talk to him myself. It also helped because as you wait you get to hear what's on the radio. At the time I called him I was in Hercules and by the time I got on I was at home in Vacaville. He does take awhile to get to his callers. I proceded to have a great discussion about how Republicans better remember their conduct in this current time because when the Democrats come back into power, politics being cyclical as it is, they will not be able to criticize one bit. We know that's not going to really happen but it'll really expose their stripes. We broke down the administrations repeated exaggerations about progress in Iraq as well as their continued attempt to squash any kind of dissenting opinion. I felt that I made a lot of great points but I didn't get to hear him comment completely on my remarks since I only heard the phoneline and not the radio. The phoneline was cut off while he was commenting on some of my thoughts. It was really a great opportunity for me to let out a lot of frustration that I've had since this bums been the president.
A Chillin' Turkey day
We didn't do too much traveling this Thanksgiving day. My family didn't really get together and the wife's dad's side was in Monterey which we weren't going to do. We did go out to Pacifica for her mom's side and that was nice. Her relatives have a beautiful new home on Hickey out towards the water. When I eat on Thanksgiving I like to let my American-born Pilipino style on and eat mashpotatoes, stuffing, hella gravy and of course turkey. I rarely will eat Pilipino food on this day. Once in a long while you gotta let the white-boy in you come out. We didn't stay out too long since I had to be at work the next day. The wife is going to try and do some Black Friday shopping, hopefully knocking out our X-mas list. The weekend should be quiet since there's no practice on sunday either. Cache Creek anyone?
Thank God for short weeks
I've been pretty tired lately, working all dem jobs like a Jamaican, man... Last week, I was with my fellow manager working on a new software program and while she sat at the computer I watched. We were also on a conference call but unfortunately we didn't have a speakerphone so I had to just sit and watch some more while she received instructions. Sure enough, I was getting drowsy and nodding off here and there. She noticed, laughed a little, asked me if I wanted to go back to the office but I declined. I got my second wind and completed the training session with her. The next day while sitting at my desk it happened again. I started dozing off again and she caught me. She was pretty upset, called me into a meeting room, and counseled me, but didn't write me up. I was embarrassed and couldn't say much. I blame it on the heat around me, it just knocks me out. At least this is technically a short week, one of the more non-active weeks in a bank year. I got a couple things I need to do at work but I'm also working at the arena a couple of nights this week as well. As far as falling asleep, unfortunately I'm not much of a coffee drinker. If I don't have anything to eat in the morning and I just drink coffee I have a stomach ache the rest of the day. I hate the burn that a cup of coffee can give your tongue as well. I love fraps but that's a weird morning drink. Plus I'm trying to stay away from soda for dental and weight reasons. Maybe cold water will do the trick, internally and externally.
Getting my dancing legs
I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable at dance practice, thanks to guidance from my fellow male dancers. I've got the majority of the moves down it's just learning some of the tweaks that have taken place with a few of the dances (thank you Bincent and Manny! That's veteran leadership for you.) I'm still tired though which is the big thing. If you can't keep up with the movements then you're not going to be able to finish the dance properly and unfortunately that's not going to cut it. It didn't help that I had a nice raspberry on my leg from playing doubleheader softball in the morning (we took a beating in our first game, but gave a beating in the second). It also didn't help that I had a couple Coors Lites while playing softball this morning as well. Still I'm glad to be back and working back to performance shape. I'm still torn from playing instruments and dancing. I wish I could pick up the strings as well but there's just not enough time in the week to practice.
My Two Sons
On saturday I stayed home and did all kinds of things around the house while the wife went off and painted the town. It also meant that I would be keeping the boys with me as well. It went really well, although there were a couple of gliches. In the morning while I vacuumed and cleaned the house, the boys played outside in the backyard riding there bikes and yelling in screaming. I was able to vacuum and steam clean a couple of the rooms which makes the floor smell so much better, even if your carpet doesn't smell bad to begin with. Apparently though, the boys were playing in the dirt of my makeshift Japanese sand garden which meant I'd have to clean them and also re-rake the garden. That was fine though as I felt my stress melt away, raking through the dirt and developing soothing line patterns. Since I was outside and with a rake I made my way to the front yard. And although we have an HOA fee that pays for our front yard's landscaping, you coulda fooled me. I had two separate weed growths starting in the lawn, not to mention a three foot weed stalk growing it's way up to the jolly green giant's house. Also, the winds of the past week blew a lot of bark all over the lawn which I proceeded to clean. The boys joined me out there as well but it can be a pain keeping them from running into the street. Luckily we're not on a seriously busy street.
After finishing the outdoor work we made our way back into the house where I demolished the laundry. I did our clothes and the boys clothes, and folded, and put away half. I left the wife's in the basket, folded, but ready for her to put away. Ask her if she did it. At lunch, Andres wanted ice cream so after he and Mio ate noodles I put out bowls for them and offered some vanilla ice cream. He saw the gelato that I bought from costco and wanted to eat the dark chocolate instead. So much for saving that for me. Later as I continued to clean I saw him eating more gelato but he was using the huge serving spoon to eat. It looked pretty funny. We chilled for a bit, taking in some Madagascar on dvd, and then made our way out to Vallejo.
I needed to return this weak as manicure set I got at Marshalls. I bought it on friday, tried to use the nail cutter, and it was just horrible. I would have got better results from a KFC spork. I also brought the steam cleaner to give to my mom who wanted to clean another room of hers. On the way to Vallejo the boys were knocked out so I drove around awhile to pass the time. I picked up some Long John Silver's (extra crumbs), and ate and waited for my mom in the Kohl's parking lot. After meeting with her the boys and I went to Toys R Us and used a gift card that Andres received on his b-day. He bought this Yu-Gi Oh toy dragon and Mio got a little mini rubber ball, like the old dodgeball ones. The boys aren't too bad in Toys R U. I was horrible when I was a kid, wanting everything in sight. They have their moments though.
We then went back to the double V and chilled. There was only one bad moment of the day and that came when Andres found sweet and sour sauce from McDo in the fridge. Mio got a hold of it, squeezed it open, all over the red couch. I was furious... I put them both in time out in their playroom, sitting on different couches. They stayed pretty quiet while in there. Mio was in trouble for the offense but Andres was the accomplice since he gave it to Mio. They both seemed to have gotten the message though. Eventually the wife came home, and we all crashed, knowing the next day would be long as well.
Harder and harder to blog
I've been backposting most of the time due to my internet access being limited to home and sometimes at work. Sometimes I see things or things happen that make me want to post so I'm gonna do that right now.
I don't have a radio in the Celica that I got from UPSer. It's my commuter car. It can be a long drive when there's just silence and the sound of an engine running. I am learning how to drift in that car though, it likes to slide out of turns.
The wife and I watched "Jarhead" on saturday night. Not a bad movie. Kinda like Full Metal Jacket but without all of the battle scenes. The Gulf War was not much of a war for foot soldiers but the waiting time was murder alone.
We bought a new vacuum, a
Dyson, on saturday. I spent the day cleaning the house while the wife was out of the house. It claims to not lose suction, ever. It's pretty nice and really user-friendly. I was even able to use my steam cleaner for the rug. I got that from BofA.
I'm enjoying my return to Likha, even though I'm badly out of shape. I'm looking to workout more often since my building at work has a fitness center that I can use during lunch or after hours.
The Arena has been pretty busy with all of the different events. I've worked almost all of them since basketball has started and the hits just keep on coming. Next month comes Gwen Steffani. I heard Metallica is coming on Dec. 31st. Don't know if I'll work that one though. And Coldplay is coming in February.
We picked up a DVR from Comcast. I haven't gotten to use it too much but at least I know that we'll get a lot of usage out of it. The box also allowed me to use an HDMI cable for the first time. It's supposed to be really good for HDTV.
I enjoyed watching the EP III dvd. The last fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan was awesome but I still can't believe how easy it was for him to turn to the darkside.
Picked up a couple of X-mas gigs as well. I'm looking forward to them so I can watch all of the people get drunk in front of their co-workers. I'm gonna make them do the Safety Dance.
Tuesday Bloody Tuesday
Tuesday I worked at the arena for the U2 concert. I've never seen them live but have always been a big fan of them. I remember driving around SF my first year in college listening to the Joshua Tree album anywhere I went. I have to say that was the best concert I've seen at the arena. I got to see a lot of it because I worked a new spot called the Mezzanine Club. I'm in an actual room this time and not having to go in and out of the suite just to watch. Damien Marley opened up for them, son of Bob Marley. He did a couple of Bob's songs, Exodus and Could You Be Loved, that was cool. I love reggae live. The bass guitar just puts you in a trance. But he lastly played his hit, Welcome to Jamrock, and the place went wild. Keep in mind the majority of the audience were white and older but they still rocked it.
U2 then came out and immediately turned it out. It was so packed with people, at least 19,000. The stage had the rounded walkway, with people inside and outside of the stage circles. Bono was his usual self but when you see him performing it's such an amazing vibe that he puts outs. They played all of my favorites (my 2 top favorites are sunday bloody sunday and where the streets have no name, i know, they're older songs but they rock.) Hearing their music live is amazing because they are just so powerful, from the marching drums to the deep bass and guitar rythmns. And everyone knows the lyrics. We sang with them all night. The best thing about it is I get to do it all over again tonight. They play on wednesday as well.
Busy sunday
We started sunday early since I worked at the arena for the Disney on Ice show. My manager gave me a suite for the family and being Disney you know the wife will be there. I didn't watch much of the show since I was working but the stage sets looked great from what I saw. There was actually a ton of people there, even for an 11:30am show. The Atendido's joined us as well. Moe had two of his teams on the plasma screens in the bar and unfortunately they didn't do well. The Warriors took out his beloved Knicks in the morning and at the same time his Raiders were... let's just say they blew it. He went 0-2. Then it was on to Likha practice.
Yes, I made my way to the studio, got Moe to come as well. Unfortunately I was the one who danced. I stood by apprehensive, knowing it's been awhile since I've done any movements at all. And even though I play softball, let's be honest, it's nowhere near as strenuous as dancing. I started with Sohten and after the first go around I could already feel the burn. My right left was giving me spasms and I could feel my toes might be starting a blister. I made it through the dance, sweaty as hell, realizing how out of shape I was. We then went through Bagobo which was ok, still remember that one. But then we did (the name escapes me, it's muslim, and we're battling, someone help me out here...). Being one of the bigger guys, I had take someone on my shoulders. Luckily it was someone with experience and in shape, Emmanuel. He made it on all the time, no struggling, and I even made the runs around the studio with the spins. It was really satisfying. To be out that long but to still be able to move like that makes you feel good. After that I was spent but we were pretty much done with guy dances. (Even UPSer is back on the dance floor, Dance of the 7 Gongs, should be good.) Thank you to all my Likha peeps for helping me find my way back. It felt great to be there and I look forward to this season.
Lastly, we went to Vallejo and met up with UPSer and the David's and we watched Chicken Little with the kids. I thought the movie was great. Some really good comedy in there. The boys enjoyed it as well. Yes, a busy sunday indeed.
Last wedding gig of the year
Unless we get a last minute call we had our last wedding gig of the year. I've got a couple of X-mas party gigs lined up but the majority of the season is ending. We were in Cupertino for a wedding. The groom was Moe's old coworker who apparently has a drinking problem. Uh-oh you're thinking, could it be like the wedding from hell that I did? Let's find out.
We left early for the South Bay because we were also providing audio for the ceremony which was also at the hotel. I left Vacaville at around 9:30am (the wedding wasn't till 4:00pm!) and we made it to Cupertino around 11:30am. The groom was running most of the show. He's a bit of a micro-manager. He made us mp3 discs for all different times of the reception: wedding ceremony, hors d'ouevers, pre-dinner, during dinner, first dances, and even dancing music. We really didn't need to be there until probably 3:00pm but it made it kinda nice that we were able to setup early and just chill. Oh yeah, we even had lunch at a restaurant called PJ's, some kinda brewery. Reminded me of a restaurant in Surrey that we used to go to. I had a deep dish pizza, mmm...
The ceremony was nice but unfortunately the event coordinator of the hotel couldn't get the engineer to lower the power of the fountain which was kinda loud. She said she was in trouble for that. It still turned out nice though, a short 15 minute ceremony of entrances and vows. The pre-reception was nice because it was open bar so I drank a couple before we got started. In fact it was open bar all night.
The dinner was nice. The hotel gave me a vendor plate, even though I was on the couple's guest list. They had me down for a portobello mushroom plate but the hotel gave me a chicken dinner. Everyone liked my meal more than their own. I heard the filet minot was dry. My chicken was scrumptuous.
When it came time for dancing I have to say, I tried everything. We started out with the Celebration mix to play some 80s R&B, but they weren't buying it. They did come out during Michael Jackson and during Whoomp there it is. (Yes, I still play that one, it works, go figure.) Then the requests started coming in. Here is a dj's pet peeve. Someone comes up for a request, even a pretty good one, and no one dances, even the one who requested it. It happened several times. I said screw it, played some Korean house music (they provided, groom=chinese, bride=korean), and they were jamming. I played for about 20 minutes throwing in old house songs, nice. It's been awhile since I've been able to do that but the best thing is, it's easy. Same beats for all of the songs.
Most of the time, since it was open bar, people stayed outside drinking and smoking. We ended early, about 10. The groom with the drinking problem? He didn't make it past 9 but he didn't make an ass of himself like the other groom. He made one short appearance late, when his buddies carried him in, but he was knocked out.
Not a bad gig to end the wedding season, not all weddings are going to be fun like the Cruz's, but for the most part I'd have to say this was our most successful year djing and it's already looking great for next year. Congrats to all those who made us a part of their big day. It was an honor.
Warriors rule!
I've worked a couple of the Warriors games so far and I have to say.... it's going to be a helluva season! Even though they lost last friday, they blew the game with bad shooting and low energy. When the come to play for real, they can beat anyone on the court. Baron Davis has been making all the difference but he definitely can't do it by himself. For the first time in a long while the buzz at the arena is electric. People aren't coming to see the other team anymore, they're here to see the Warriors. It's about damn time.
What have I got myself into?
This morning when I got to work (I was late since I had to take the boys to Vallejo for babysitting) my fellow manager was talking with her staff and I could hear her voice cracking. She was talking about yesterday when someone had their last day with our staff. A second person also let us know that she would not be returning to work and so now we've lost 2 people out of a staff of 6. I guess her feelings were hurt that no one was giving her updates and all these people leaving kinda made her feel like it was her fault (I hear it is). When the person that left yesterday cleaned out her desk, the manager mentioned that she didn't take the flowers that she gave her. (They were old and had been on the desk, not just recently given.) She makes little smart comments here and there about how she feels slighted from different things. Just tell me this, not being sexist or anything, but do women more than men get more emotionally attached to their jobs? I remember someone saying that years ago and I scolded him for that because I thought that you shouldn't generalize like that. I'm hoping that this group doesn't become too dramatic for me but I'm not holding my breath.
Where have all the children gone?
Man, I went to Costco in anticipation of all the kids coming by the neighborhood last night looking for candy. I picked up 2 bags and we already had some candy left over from the weekend. Lo and behold, the doorbell rang twice all night. The wife went out with the boys and they went and saw some kids while they were out but not a lot. The wife said I should have left the porch light on, but we had Halloween decorations in the front, and I had a Halloween spotlight shining on our porch. Wouldn't you think we were doing something for the event? I've noticed that kids haven't been going out as much in the past 5 to 10 years. When at my mom's in Vallejo, it was just about the same there too. When I was growing up it was packed on the streets in our neighborhoods. I even got bag snatched one year by someone but I cried so hard that the guys friend convinced his friend to give it back to me. (We became friends in the later years.) People started taking their kids to the mall for candy as well a couple years back but now, they just hand out stickers and crap, no candy. Sad to see that people are just too frightened to bring their kids out on a day that was made for them.
Big Loser even when the Niners win
On sunday, I went to SF to play softball at 9:00am. I had to leave like at 7:30 from Vacaville and stop in Vallejo to get the tix to the Niners football game where me and 2 buddies would be watching. I couldn't get into the house, pops was jogging, my mom was in Vacaville after spending the night, and my garage door opener key was with the wife. I planned on coming back to pickup the tix after my softball game. Since we were going to a baptism/reception after softball and I knew that my other buddy would be going out there I asked him to get the tix for me while he was still in Vallejo... SCORE!!! That would have sucked to have to go back to Vallejo after all of that. We met up in Belmont where the reception was and since it was running late we let them know that we were going to the game. I put the tix in my checkbook, then in my back pocket. I then had to write a check for the gift and put it in the card. As we then drove off for the Stick, excited to go, we called Darby Dan's deli and ordered some sandwiches, dee-lish! Half way from Belmont to Darby Dan's I reached into my back pocket and found only one ticket and the parking pass. As I fuddled around my seat and my other pockets I knew something was wrong. They were nowhere to be found. I must have dropped the other two when I wen to write the check. Good one. Here I was with my softball buds, excited to finally go to a game, getting some great sandwiches, and we couldn't even go to the game. Loser. We got the sandwiches, watched the 1st half at the deli, went to one of the guy's houses, watched the rest of the game, and they won, in exciting fashion I might add. At least I got to chill with some good friends but you just feel like crap after pulling something like that.
EP III
I'll be running to some store at lunch to pickup up Episode 3. We were talking about doing a get together and watching the dvd and using a projector so it'll be huge. Also, we'll add the big surround sound to it so that we get the full experience. It's going to be in the east bay, not Vacaville, but we'll get the word out. I think I may be turning away from the screen when I see Anakin confront the unsuspecting younglings, that was messed up...
No more internet time
Since I've been working here now I don't have a chance to go on the internet very much. Which really sucks because even if I need to do banking stuff I have to wait awhile to get it done. I also haven't found much time to catch up on my blog and read everyone else's. I want to be in the know but it's tough when it's this limited. I think by the beginning of next year I'll have normal access to it but I'm not holding my breath. Time moves slowly here, some good of that some bad.
