I can't get this song out of my head. I've been listening to it for the past 3 weeks. Stars rock!

(Stars - Elevator Love Letter)

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
(The Fray - How To Save a Life)

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

...
Highlights from week 1 at the new job...

- It doesn't matter where I am, if I'm sitting idle in a moving vehicle, my super powers of sleep start to kick in. If someone is driving and I am the passenger, my eyes will be shut by the time the car is moving. During my commute this week, I overslept my subway stop twice. On Monday, I overslept by about 4 stops. Luckily I planned to get to work 30 minutes early to make a good impression. As it turns out, I got to work 5 minutes early. On Friday, I overslept my commute by about 8 stops. When I had woken up, the subway car was completely empty and the next stop read "Greenwood". I've lived in the Toronto area for the past 20 years and I've never even heard of Greenwood. I hope Santa gives me an alarm clock for Christmas so I can use it for my commute.

- I work in a sausage factory. Of the 30 or so employees at my new company, there are exactly 2 women. One is the company controller and the other one is the vp of marketing.

- I've decided that this 1.5 hr commute to work is good for me. I need to get more exercise. If my tummy gets any bigger, I might not be able to see my penis in the shower. Which makes it hard to wash. No one wants a dirty penis.

- The good thing about working for a company that has so many male workers is that the company Christmas party is at the Toronto Raptors basketball game. That would only fly with the coolest of women.

- There is no dress code at my office. The CEO walks around in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt.

- The management group are all under 40 years old. My boss is 2 years younger than me.

- Here's something to scare you. For the 10 new business consultants they just hired including me, they had to interview 100 people. 9 out of 10 failed the technical interview. Which means that 9 out of 10 people are dumber than me.

I'm so hard for the rich girl...
(Stars - Elevator Love Letter)

Her heels are high and my hope's so low
'cause I don't know how to love

...
So I read somewhere that you can tell a lot about a person through their handshake. I don't know exactly what you could tell or how you would tell it but I think it'd be a great leap over the communication gap of our society. You could bypass all the small talk you do when you first meet someone through a simple handshake. Determine instantly if that person would even be worth conversing with or whether it'd be a waste of your breath. I think too much of our time is wasted on figuring people out and trying to understand them. Let me rephrase that. I think too many people waste our time by hiding behind personality curtains because their real personalities scare people away. People like this should be looking for help. Seeking out some personality therapy. Do personality therapists even exists? I think I'd be the first one in the line to see the personalapist.

I'm rambling.

So the big news in my world lately is that I resigned from my old job 2 weeks ago. About 4-5 months back, I had told my new boss that I needed them to hire some help to offload some of the IT functions that they had me doing that wasn't related to my career objectives. It's not that I was too important or too cool to do them, they were just taking up too much of my time and I was losing focus on my own personal development within the company. My boss replied that we didn't have the budget to add another head in my department and that they would revisit the issue in 2007. A few months later, they hired 2 new executive assistants. One executive assistant for my boss and one for the general manager. After a few other annoying incidents, I came to the conclusion that the new management team there was full of shit, so I got a new job. It's a new adventure for me. I'll be working in the heart of downtown Toronto for the first time. I'll be one of those people sleeping on the subway in the mornings; sliding in and out of the crowds on the street as I make my morning commute. Being a suburbs boy, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this but it was definitely time for a change, a welcomed change.

Watch out big city, here I come.

Offside
(Anything Box - Carmen)

As a kid, I grew up loving comics. My favourites were X-Men, X-Factor, Spiderman and Wolverine. I used to spend my lunches at the comic store, buying the latest comics for $1.50. In fact, I still have some of those comics lying around my room. They're still in good condition as I kept them in plastic covers with cardboard backs.

I remember reading the comics carefully, making sure not to crease any pages. Occasionally I would try and draw some of the characters in the comics and pretend I was Stan Lee, Todd McFarlane or Rob Liefeld. To be honest though, I was more like Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the South Park artists.

I eventually grew out of the comic collecting fad but I still love comics. I don't think that will ever change.

As you know, I've been working with a few friends on a fantasy sports website (www.fantasymoneyball.com) over the past year. It's been a pretty tough and busy year but we've been doing things that we enjoy. We finally launched our website back in September and we've been continuing to improve the site by fixing bugs and adding more content to it.

About a month ago Spooner and I came up with an idea of adding a comic to our site similar to the one you see on Penny Arcade. As luck would have it, Sonia's sister's bf, Garvey, was an animator and sports fan. We asked him to join our team and we started writing out some cartoon scripts that were sports related. Here are the fruits of our loins...err...labour.

Offside

Who would've thought that one day I'd have a hand in producing a comic?

So far we've been really happy with the work. As with most comics, there's going to be a period of growth as Garvey starts to understand the personalities of our characters and our humour.

As for the content, we've had a bit of butting of heads with some of our group in terms of what they think our audience wants to see. We've stayed on the PC/conservative side to appease everyone but look for us to push the envelope a little and get edgier with our material. After all, we're not PC and I would think that we are a prime example of our own target audience.

If you've got some time, take a look at the comic and let me know what you think. I'd loved to hear some input.

Seniorita and the Care Bear stare.



Medusa looking for a little fried chicken lovin.



Ignore the whoopee, Scott actually wanted to go as a giant foreskin.



Jo-jo and Sarah stopping by the party after their work shift on Jarvis & Church.

The rest of the pictures can be seen here...

http://flickr.com/photos/28362622@N00/sets/72157594362895854/

Blondes Have All the Fun
(The Killers - When We Were Young)

Ok...haven't posted awhile because I've been doing too much work on my FMB project but I ran across this website today and it was too good not to pass on.

Keiko

This is about the only time in my life I've ever wanted to be wh...European.

...

FMB is looking for some content writers. We're looking for funny, sports enthusiasts who like to express their opinions! If this is you, please contact me. What do we have to offer? Well...to be honest, it would most likely be all pro-bono but if you're really good and you're of European descent, we may be able to send you to Tokyo to meet Keiko.

Farewell Andre
(Greenday - Time of Your Life)

If you're a sports fan, the one thing you hope to see in your lifetime is an athlete that pushes the sport to another level; an athlete that transcends his own sport and inspires all those that watch. I've been watching sports for 20+ years and I've been blessed to see the likes of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Tiger Woods and Pete Sampras. Some of these athletes are still playing but most of them have retired and moved onto the next phase of their lives. Last week another one of these great athletes retired. Andre Agassi played his last tennis match on Sept 3rd at the US Open.

He came into the tennis tour in 1986 as a rebel. He pushed the boundaries of tennis’ strict sartorial boundaries with his colourful outfits, long rocker hair and an earring. Paving the way for the unique outfits you see on the tennis tour today. After winning several grand slams in the 90’s, he had a serious wrist injury in 1997 and had to rededicate his life to tennis. Working harder than he ever did before and becoming a role model for all the younger tennis players, he became the #1 ranked player in the world and won several more grand slam titles for a total of 8 in his career. This was his speech after his final match at the US Open this year.

The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found.

And over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life.

I've found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments.

And I've found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you.

Over the last 21 years, I have found you. And I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life.

One of the most humble and genuine speeches I’ve ever heard from an athlete and Andre’s presence in the sport will be dearly missed.

And as one tennis great retires, another one is making his mark in tennis history. Arguably the best player ever, Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick yesterday to win his 9th grand slam tournament. He needs 5 more to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14. Roger beat Andy decisively in 4 sets, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. The match statistics showed that Roger hit 69 quadrillion winners to Andy’s 33. And although, Andy is known to have the bigger serve, Roger out aced him 17 bazillion to 7. And fittingly, Roger had another dominant athlete in his guest box.

Some guy by the name of Tiger Woods.

If you’re not a sports fan yet, this is a great time to start watching. Tiger and Roger are rewriting the record books as we speak and when they’re done, they will have left an unquestionable mark in their respective sports.

Unsuspecting Circumstances
(Lifehouse – Blind)

So Douglas Coupland has a screenplay showing at the Toronto Film Festival this year. The one year I have chosen not to get tickets. Total bummer. Hopefully I can catch it when it comes out on video. Here’s a little synopsis of his movie.

Pyramid schemes, monster grow-ops and lucrative white lies: you're either in the game or getting played. Set in a Vancouver overtaken by film crews, where costumed aliens wander aimlessly between craft services and the set, Everything's Gone Green comically illustrates how hard it is to know what's real in a world filled with fakery and hidden agendas. Oddly touching and permeated with a sense of fun, this debut original screenplay from iconic author Douglas Coupland affectionately asks not what, but who you want to be when you grow up.

Ryan (Paulo Costanzo) believes in small, manageable dreams. Dumped by his yuppie girlfriend, he gets a dispiriting job with a lottery magazine, photographing winners and writing their stories. In a Mandarin language class he's taking for work, he meets the lovely Ming (Steph Song) and is immediately smitten. However, Ming has a slick boyfriend, Bryce (JR Bourne), who designs golf courses for private clubs whose members never show up.

The weirdly abandoned courses are a small piece in a large and dubious puzzle and, spotting an angle, Bryce tries to involve Ryan. As he watches friends and family achieve greater materialistic fulfillment, Ryan wonders why he shouldn't play the game, trade in two wheels for four and maybe, finally, get the girl. When Ming and Bryce break up, all Ryan needs to do is convince her he's different from Bryce - but suddenly that's harder than he ever expected.

Director Paul Fox and his note-perfect cast achieve a lighthearted tone delicately poised between comic exaggeration and recognizable reality. Costanzo is effortlessly charming as Ryan, and the supporting players are clearly having a blast. Coupland's influence can be felt throughout, as the insouciant visual world is often reminiscent of his own art.

Everything's Gone Green good-naturedly reminds us that the line between getting by and becoming corrupt is sometimes very thin, and that the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

I’ve been a Coupland fan ever since Spooner introduced him to me back in university. I guess the thing that attracts me to Coupland’s writing is his understanding of the current times (or the zeitgeist for you romantics). He takes an individual or a group of individuals that represent a generation and he leads them from the dazed and confused to some grandeur revelation. And the characters all seem so hopeless and insignificant initially. Sort of how most of us feel as we transition from one phase of our lives to the next. It’s something I think all of us can relate to. And somehow through a series of unsuspecting events, they find their way and become aware of their purpose in life. I’d like to think that I’m one of these Coupland’s characters somewhere in the middle of the book, still searching for my reason for being -- walking around filled with self-doubt; engaging in clever dialogue and insightful conversations with the other characters in my life and waiting for that series of circumstances that will guide me to the end of this book.

FMB - Do Your Research
www.fantasymoneyball.com

For all you fantasy sports enthusiasts, we've finally released the beta version of our website. Sign-up, look around, DO YOUR RESEARCH, and let us know how we can improve this site for you.



Maybe now, I'll have some time to catch up on blogging!

The Vulnerable Get Eaten by Vultures
(Lifehouse - Everything)

My generation doesn't talk. We let the air out of your tires. We talk behind your backs and spread nasty rumours about you.

I don't open up easily. The only place I've opened up are in letters, over msn, on the phone and on this blog -- all the impersonal mediums of communication.

I am not a people person. I belong in a book.

I’m Popeye the Spiteful Man
(Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch)

Coming from a science background, I fully appreciate what our scientists are doing on a day to day basis -- trying to solve some of the biggest issues of our generation like the AIDS, cancer, the mutant X gene, etc. However, from a purely selfish perspective, I'd like to see scientists take on this idea.

Isolate the Spite Chemical.

Have you noticed what people are capable of when they're bitter? Outside of natural ambition, I don't think there's a single motivator better than spite. I knew a guy that learned how to speak a language fluently because people kept teasing him. This same guy also learned how to ski and got his skiing instructors license for the very same reason. Now if we can isolate the chemical in the brain that fuels this type of motivational spite, we could reproduce this in mass quantities and sell it in a can. It could be your own Popeye spinach! Imagine how focused you’d be as an athlete after taking a few shots of this chemical before a game. And the great thing about it is, no one can accuse you of cheating. What are they going to test for? Spite?

Just imagine how much money you could make from selling a product like this. I know I’d pre-order a few crates if it were available (not that I don't have high levels of spite already).

For Simplicity Sake
(Feist - Mushaboom (Postal Service Rmx))

So after a 5 hr nap in the evening, I'm now up at this ungodly hour taking care of things I should've taken care of when I decided to slumber. What's lovely about this time of night is that no one's up and there are very few distractions. So I've managed to do my laundry, download some pictures from my camera, take care of some bills and now I'm blogging. I don't really have much to say these days. It seems lately, I've been more into living life than writing about it. I guess that's a good thing, no? Anyhow, here are some random events that have made me smile, laugh, almost cry (because boys don't cry), pull my hair out, etc.

- I got the plague/cold and spent 3 days at home 2 weeks ago.
- My boss resigned due to overwhelming stress.
- The company server and WAN went down all on the same week that I had a cold.
- My other company launched the alpha version of our website, stay tuned for the link!
- I got a modded xbox from friends for my bday and I've been playing Karaoke Revolution and Topspin non-stop. A-ha's Take On Me has never been butchered so many times and I sing a great rendition of My Immortal by Evanescence.
- I am now convinced that the concept of "The One" is far too convenient to be true.
- The white orchids I got Sonia's parents last year are still alive and flowering like Barry Bonds juiced them.
- I spent last week in St.Paul, MN doing some company training. Hotels feel so empty even though they seem to be little flourishing cities all on their own.
- Rhianna's sample of Tainted Love makes me want to dance, and I normally hate when artists sample classic tunes.
- Saw the Strokes again and they still are one of the best live performing bands out there.
- I hear Emily Haines has a solo album coming out soon. She might be the coolest rocker chic alive. If you haven't heard any of her music, download a few Metric songs.
- Fishing season and vacation season is coming up. I'm headed to Vancouver for 10 days at the end of June with Sonia and headed north to the cottage for a week in mid-July.
- My little cousins from California are coming to visit in July for a month. They are adorable.
- If you haven't seen Shakespeare in the Park, I'd highly recommend it. Last year they performed Much Ado About Nothing. This year they're showing Comedy of Errors. This will be the 3rd year Sonia and I have gone.
- Happy 3 year anniversary Sonia!

(New Order - Regret)

Ninjas Killed My Family
(The Cranberries – Animal Instinct)

It’s raining outside. I wish I was in bed watching a movie or reading a book.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you need to try and get your hands on a copy.

Shinobi : Heart Under Blade

It’s based on the Japanese anime Basilisk. If you’ve seen Ninja Scrolls and liked it, you will love Basilisk, as well as the real-life rendition Shinobi. Seriously, who doesn’t like Ninjas? The only reason I can think of for not liking Ninjas, is if they’ve killed your family. If that were the case, then maybe you’d have a valid reason.
...

Concerts coming up in May...don't miss them...

The Strokes
The Stills

The Days After 30
(The Stills – Love and Death)

My birthday was this past Tuesday and it was one of those "milestone" birthdays where everyone around you is suddenly apologizing or giving you reasons why this age isn't as bad as it seems and stating all the good things about it. First off, if it really were a good year, there would be no need for you to ever justify it as such. It's sort of like when people say, "well, they had good intentions" or "they meant well." These types of sayings come directly after something that has gone horribly wrong. What they really mean to say is something like, "Well, I knew you liked cut-off jeans so I decided to make use of my new circular saw to make you a pair, I meant well. Who knew that a circular saw would so easily cut human flesh. I'm sorry you lost a leg." I don’t think the start of any new year that’s evenly divisible by 10 is a good year. Y2K is a prime example. The only thing positive about that year was the widespread panic and the mass hysteria. Who doesn’t enjoy a little bit of running around while waving your arms and screaming?

Now, watch how I transition back from my deftly placed analogies, back into the main topic...

The point is, turning 30 isn't pleasant. It isn't horribly awful either. What is horribly awful is the fact that we still have to sugar coat bad medicine for old people like me. Give me the Buckley’s version of turning 30 please.

"You are now entering a decade where you will be ‘encouraged’ to settle down and get married. And when I say encouraged, I really mean ‘pressured’. Once you have established that you are a DINK (double income, no kids), you will push yourself into huge debt by buying a house where you will spend the rest of your living days paying mortgage, popping out kids, changing diapers and constantly wondering where the days of yore went."

Now there’s some bluntness I can appreciate.

I’ve Made A Huge Mistake (I think I should start numbering these, since this is probably the 3rd or 4th time I’ve had to say that)
(DCFC – What Sarah Said)

One of my managers came by my desk today and asked if I had a spare phone cable she could borrow. I wasn’t sure but I said I’d take a look in my desk drawer. As I pulled my desk drawer open while she hovered behind me, my Stuff magazine was in plain sight, with hot Stacy Keibler wearing next to nothing on the cover. Being that it was one of the new female managers, it was an awkward situation. In attempt to make it seem as though it wasn’t awkward, I nonchalantly pulled the magazine out and placed it right on top of my desk as I dug around the drawer to find a spare phone cable. Sort of like saying, "So what, it’s a guy magazine with scantily clad women, I’m sure you’ve got a huge vibrator underneath the kit kat bar you have in your desk drawer." Remind me later to go check her drawers.

My first reaction would’ve been to close the drawer but that would’ve been a blatant admittance of guilt. Admitting your guilt is something only people with moral fibre do. (Side note : I wonder if people with lots of moral fibre have more regular bowel movements.) That's not something I have.

After digging around for a good 30 seconds, I then decided to cut my losses and put the magazine back into my desk and told her that I couldn’t find what she was looking for but would let her know if I found anything.

That was the highlight of my day.

Here I Am
(The Cure - Halo)

I never felt like this with anyone before.
You only have to smile and I'm dizzy.
...

I went to Sonia’s coworker’s wedding on the weekend and the couple’s first dance song was my song of the day above. A great song and a pleasant surprise from the usual contemporary slow song. I actually wanted to grab Sonia by the hand and dance to it but under the circumstances, it would’ve been highly inappropriate.

It was the first interracial wedding I’ve attended and it was fantastic to see two very different cultures share in the common happiness of seeing their son/daughter/cousin/etc get married. If you’ve ever been to an east Indian wedding, they have a lot of dancing performances. The best performance of the night came when the bride and a few of the girls (including Sonia) did a little surprise Bollywood dance for the groom. I thought it was a wonderful sentiment for the bride to embrace the groom’s culture like that.

It was a very beautiful wedding.
...

You know what I miss about university? On afternoons where you are feeling completely ineffective and completely inefficient because the week has been long and has taken its toll on you, you could just skip your afternoon classes and go slack off for the day. Being a young professional has its benefits though, I actually get paid for going to “class”. I don’t think I’ve missed too many days as a result.
...

The two things I’m horrible at, when it comes to the dating: a) getting a phone number and b) breaking up. I’ve never been particularly good at getting the ball rolling. However, once it’s rolling, I can keep it going for a long time. I also have issues stopping the ball. There’s just too much momentum by that point. I usually don’t have the heart. As a contrast, my friend Spooner, has always been able to pick up girls at clubs and has always been able to break-up with girls with relative ease. I sometimes imagine that if we could somehow combine our powers, we could be some sort of super dating machine...but we aren’t. I’m sure the ladies of the world all just breathed a collective sigh of relief.
...

I’m also having serious Arrested Development symptoms today. I miss GOB, Buster, George Michael, Michael, Tobias, Lucille, George Sr., Lindsay and even Maeby.

"Wow, that’s what it feels like to be punched in the face."

Season 3 DVD to be released June 13th on Amazon!
...

Has anyone seen the new chat feature inside gmail? You can actually use gtalk, which is an IM, while checking your gmail. It’s embedded right into the webpage. It’s an ingenious idea but I find it a bit intrusive. It’s almost like having someone looking over your shoulder while you’re emailing. Whenever I see, someone appear online who usually does not use gtalk as their primary IM, I message them with, "You’re checking your email again, aren’t you?" I think it creeps them out.
...

Earlier this winter I decided to buy snow tires because my all-season tires weren’t cutting it. Immediately after I bought the most expensive snow tires I could find (because I convinced myself that you couldn’t cheap out on safety), the weather got amazingly warm and dry for a winter in Canada. As of today, I’ve counted a total of 3 days this winter where we’ve actually had enough snow on the ground to enjoy my snow tires. Murphy’s Law fuckin sucks. I’m planning on putting back my all-season tires next week. Watch it snow right after I do it. My car is also in need of a wash as well but I’m going to avoid doing both at the same time because it will result in some really odd weather conditions.

Us Old Fogies
(The Ramones - I Want To Be Sedated)

Take everything people say with a grain of salt. You are who you are and no one can deny you that.

Brokeback Conversations
(The Strokes - Heart in a Cage)

Shaky: You know, the only time I ever drink diet coke is when I'm really thirsty. Even then, it's got to be really cold. Otherwise, it tastes like crap.
Spooner: haha... i don't mind it
i'm used to it... regular coke tastes too sweet for me now
Shaky: That's just absurd. That's like going from straight sex to gay sex and saying, "yeah...I find the hole is too moist for me when I go back to straight sex." Come on!!
Spooner: :S
i take it you drink the FULL flavoured, HOMO milk then?
Shaky: I don't drink milk.
Spooner: or do you drink a watered down 2%?
Shaky: Never have been much of a milk fan. Milk is the biggest myth ever
Spooner: regular or unleaded?
Shaky: My mom used to tell me to drink 3 glasses a day and we drank homo milk.
Spooner: do you eat anything that is fat-reduced?
Shaky: hmm...not that I can think of offhand.
Spooner: margarine vs. butter?
Shaky: I eat butter.
Spooner: so everything you eat and drink is FULL on flavour
Shaky: or "I can't believe it's not butter"...I really can't.
Spooner: so you're having gay sex with butter too
haha
Shaky: "I can't believe it's not straight sex."

Crouching Brokeback Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the Mountain
(Tomi Swick – A Night Like This)

Most people use coffee as an afternoon brain stimulant. I find it doesn’t really work for me. It does however act as a great laxative. I use coffee to stimulate afternoon bowel movements. While people are normally hitting the 3 o’clock wall, I’m usually passing the 3 o’clock log. Does anyone feel awkward with their pants down or is that just me? I guess that’s why they say "Never get caught with your pants down." Ahh, I love Fridays! No Friday is complete without me sharing vile moments of naked vulnerability with you.

Has anyone seen Brokeback Mountain yet? I haven’t but the Oscar buzz has me intrigued. And why wouldn’t there be an Oscar buzz around a movie where cowboys say things like, "God, I wish I knew how to quit you!" to each other. If you don’t know what Oscar material is, that’s it. If you were to say that to a girl, with a straight face, you’d have her eating out of the palm of your hands.

A friend of mine just told me Ang Lee was already starting on a sequel to this movie. I think it’s called "Crouching Brokeback Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the Mountain". The first gay kung-fu movie. There are so many gay movies "coming out"!! Pretty soon we’ll be seeing gay action adventures, gay horror movies and gay romantic comedies. I wonder which gay partner is going to dread watching the gay equivalent of a "chick flick". Hopefully no one takes these comments as homophobia, because they aren’t. I’m just trying to point out what a fun sexy time it is to be gay.

Back
(Counting Crows - Long December)

I'm back.

It was a long December. So long it lasted through to February.

Been away for awhile for several reasons, some of which include – a funeral in Orange County (I will seriously hurt anyone I hear calling it The O.C, DON’T CALL IT THAT!), working as a peon for a large medical company and doing a side venture with a few friends. Life’s been surreal to say the least.

During this time, a few things that made me laugh...

Conan O’Brien’s graduating class speech to a Harvard class. It’s rather witty. You have to envy people that can make you laugh. I wish I was tall, gangly and awkward.

A small girl being tossed through a basketball hoop. Guys are known for performing high risk stunts (aka idiocy) like this but I thought girls were smarter than that. Consider this as exhibit A for my case that they aren’t.

A few random thoughts...

It has taken me 20+ years to realize that life is too short to be angry at people. However, it’s just long enough to be passive aggressive. To all the people who I’ve been angry with in the past, that part of my life is over. If you occasionally find that you wake up to a car with a flat tire – it wasn’t me.

Lately some aspects of my life have been a lot of oysters but no pearls. It would be easy for me to hang my head but I think you need to go through life optimistic and continuing to look for those pearls even when the conditions seem not-so-optimal. When I was younger, I used to go camping with my relatives. I remember diving for fresh water mussels with my cousins and then roasting them over the fire for lunch. On one occasion, I nearly chipped a tooth. It turned out I had bitten into a mussel with a pearl. First, I didn’t know mussels could produce pearls. Second, I didn’t know pearls could be made in freshwater. The pearl was tiny and had a pinkish hue to it; and even though it was not perfectly round, it was the most spectacular thing I had ever found. Since that day, I’ve never found another pearl but I've experienced many memorable moments and have met many incredible people. All pearls in their own right. That's why I always keep my head high and my eyes open.

A few random pictures...

FOX Can Suck My Linus!

Well it’s official, I’m going to hunt down every FOX executive and squeeze their Charlie Browns until they cry for mercy.

Fox Screws Over Arrested Development AGAIN

I just don’t get it. If you’re not willing to promote a show properly and put it in the right time slots to get some sort of viewing, why bother with the remaining episodes? Why not formally announce that you’re cancelling the show and let another network pick it up? Is it really necessary to put it in the worst time slot possible? AD is being treated like that fat girl that Fox has slept with and is afraid to be seen with in public. AD is not a fat girl! It’s a Jessica Alba-like hot girl that has a Jon Stewart-like wit. I just can’t believe what they’re doing to this show. It’s just tearing my heart to pieces. To pieces!

Bookmarks
(The Strokes - You Only Live Once)

When there’s nowhere left to run, is there room for one more sun?
...

As I read, I like to bookmark pages that are significant -- parts of the story which are particularly well-written and inspiring. I wish I could do the same with my life. There have been so many great moments and so many well-written storylines. I’d like to get lost in them a few more times before I move onto the next chapter.

But that’s the thing about this crazy life – all we have left is a memory and a few ticket stubs when the moment passes. You just try and hold onto these as long as you can. In the end, the easiest days to remember are the days you lived with conviction.