media39 2.0

you can now reach me at...

2008-03-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

www.cupofdoodles.blogspot.com

I'll no longer be using this one.

congrats

2008-02-26T11:33:00.001-08:00

Since his blog is dead I'd like to congratulate Curt and Laura on their recent nuptials.

This is all kinds of cool!

2008-01-30T18:18:00.001-08:00

mmmm tasty!

2008-01-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

THANKS AMY!

This years "Snakes on a Plane"

2008-01-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

During my daily movie search for movies coming up in the near future, I found this gem.

Teeth.

Oh yes I will be there opening day, after I see "No Country For Old Men" for the 12th time of course.

Enjoy.

What was that sound?

2007-12-30T20:13:00.001-08:00

Thursday night around 9:00pm our next door neighbor, Laura, came over to hang out. We sat around chatted, my wife and her shared a bottle of wine. I was sipping on my Sailor Jerry and Coke and playing the acoustic. It was a low key night.

Laura left to go home around midnight. We watched about 5 more minutes of TV before we were going to bed when we heard a sound, a popping sound. Megan asked if the guitar string had just busted. I said I don't think so unless it was just a really bad string. She got up to check the guitar and told me all 6 strings were still there. Interesting. She came back around to the other side of the couch when another popping sound was heard only this time along with the popping sound came the sound of glass breaking, shattering really. It was our sliding glass door. My first thought was that someone was on our balcony trying to get in. I immediately jumped up, at Megans protest, to see if someone was actually there. I didn't think there would be since we are on the second floor but I figured maybe....nobody was. Then I looked across the fence into another apartment complex and saw some teenagers scrambling inside a the apartment. Our next door neighbor had already come back to see what the noise was and Megan was on the phone with 911.

3 of HB's finest were out in a matter of minutes. Turns out 30 second before Megan called 911 another neighbor one balcony away had already dialed 911 cause she had found a hole in her window and went outside to investigate and saw the kid in the act of shooting our window. Lucky us. Two officers tried to question the occupants of the apartment where the shot came from. The other officer was in our apartment take down his report.

From our apartment we could see that the two officers weren't having any luck getting the residents to open up. The kids were actually taunting the cops by just standing by the door and not opening it. After 5 minutes with us officer Cheryl left us and eventually got someone to open the door. We think since his pounding on the door probably awoke everyone on the block that he finally woke the grandmother and mother that lived there.

We went down to our other neighbors house to watch the questioning from her balcony. We watch for about 15 minutes before we figured it was getting late and we should try somehow to get some sleep. It was going to be a long cold night, since now we had huge hole in our sliding door and our adrenaline was flying high. 30 minutes later officer Cheryl called to let us know that they had made an arrest and booked the teen with vandalism and firing a fire arm into an occupied residence which is a felony. Turns out it was a bb gun, never the less it scared the crap out of us.

Thankfully, My wife, me and my dog weren't injured at all. Had we gotten up 5 seconds earlier to go to bed it might have been a different story. As of yesterday the kid who did this is still in jail.

It's a pretty crazy story that I had to share.

I thought I would do better...

2007-12-21T18:39:00.000-08:00

	I received 56 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Guess the Sci-Fi Movie Sounds here Canon powershot

come on everyone is doing it

2007-12-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

...in other news

2007-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

Major League Baseball unveiled their new logo for the 2008 season.

Please, Make Them Stop!

2007-12-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

What do these places have in common?

Gas Station, Coffee Bean, Weinerschitzel, Jiffy Lube and my Dr. Office?

I’ll tell you what, they all have TV screens.

This week I walked into my favorite coffee shop, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. There wasn’t small talk among customers, no commenting on the Patriots streak of wins (even though they will go down as the unbeaten cheaters) or odd looks at the barista for deciding to color her hair 3 shades of red. No, none of that. Instead, everyone was staring up at a brand-new flat screen TV.

Don’t get me wrong: I love TV. Friday Night Lights anyone? (Please don’t cancel this show!) I need to know if Landry is going to get off the hook for murder or if shy the QB is going to make it with his grandma's live-in caretaker. I need this. But I’m over coming across a TV every time I need to run an errand. This is customer-service?

I've seen TVs at the supermarket, the bank, even at Nordstrom. God forbid I might have to talk to the person next to me, or dare I say, nothing, just stand there and wait my turn. Maybe look out the window or something?

My time is precious, and I choose carefully how to spend it. The choices I feel good about rarely involve staring at a screen that someone else just flipped on. I looked around at my coffee bean buddies and was sad to see very few of them actively resisting. It's as if they were letting their brains be drained without protest, trapped in some freaky episode of X-Files

Just because we have the technology—and a 24/7 knowledge of information—does not mean we have to burn it into every last second of available time.

10 on Tuesday

2007-11-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Ernest Hemingway's 6 word story, "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn" me and a few guys at work have compiled a list of 6 word stories. The list has over 50 entries as of now but I'll give you some of the highlights on the list...in no particular order.

Warning, may offend.

10. Milking a bear: Possible, but unwise.
9. The bank repossessed my new tattoo.
8. Pilots dead, the airliner flew on.
7. Blimp crash: Hard not to watch.
6. I’m too fat to reach there.
5. Turkeys take longer than she thought.
4. It tasted better the week before.
3. The lavatory’s occupied, and I’m crowning.
2. The bride’s penis was a surprise.
1. East, until the gas runs out.

To Tip or Not to Tip

2007-11-26T21:01:00.001-08:00

That is the question.

I think I'm a pretty good tipper. If the service is good then I'll leave a very generous tip. If the service is ok then I'll leave decent tip and if the service is horrible I won't leave anything. I can count on one hand how many times I haven't tipped someone but I have done it and those few people didn't deserve a tip. I don't feel bad about those times.

Then there are places that force the tip upon you, Starbucks is a good example. They stick that tip jar right out front for everyone to see and even at the drive-thru they have a tip jar. I don't tip at these places. I don't tip the guy at Taco Bell that makes my #8 without lettuce why should I tip someone that is just making my coffee. I have to draw the line somewhere.

Then there is Souplantation. You don't have a server but a bus boy comes around and clears your table for you. This one is a toss up for me. I usually leave a few bucks but feel odd about doing so. He is clearing my table but thats it, is he even getting that tip? Who knows

My question is what are your thoughts on tipping and who do or don't you tip?

Im happy to say...

2007-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

I'm now part of the Wii generation...

more to come.

10 on Tuesday.

2007-11-21T14:29:00.001-08:00

I think every tuesday I'll have a list of 10. Yes I know its Wednesday but next week it will be Tuesday. 10 on Wednesday doesn't have the same ring. Anyway, I have no idea what that will lead to but we'll start with this.

10 words that describe me best.

Friend: I'm a very good friend. I'm always there for my friends, ready to listen, give advice and help...and if I haven't I apologize now. =)

Funny: My sense of humor has been called a lot of different things, dry, twisted, sick are just a few. Usually its just to get a reaction from other people. I like more of a situational type of humor where I can banter back and forth with people and for some reason I can remember every joke I have ever been told.

Loyal: If you are a friend, you will be a friend for life.

Creative: Creative yes, an artist not so much. I think to be an artist you must be producing art. I haven't done that in a while. I'm creative at my job yes, but it doesn't count as being an artist. Just my opinion.

Laid-Back: Thats just how I come off, very relaxed and easy going. Guess thats why I enjoyed Jamaica so much, I felt at home.

Opinionated: As is everyone I suppose, but I won't back down if I feel strongly about something, something that I haven't always been able to do.

Stubborn: Ask my wife.

Daring: This is something new for me, cause anyone that knows my wife knows that she will do anything. This has rubbed off on me over time. Its something I think has always been inside me but just took the right person to bring it out.

Observant: This is just an age thing, but I notice a lot more things now than when I was younger. Things seem more clear to me know than ever before in my life.

Passionate: I get very passionate about things I believe in or support this could be anything from a movie to music to sports and everything in between. If I feel passionate about something you'll know it.

So there you have it. This took me a while which I was surprised, its not as easy as you might think. Feel free to post your 10.

More than meets the eye.

2007-11-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

Kirk Hansen, who works for the company I work with, snapped this for us. The staff here gives it immediate cult status, if nothing else but for all the duct tape used to hold on the cheesy “aero” treatment...and don't forget the mandatory Transformers stickers.

Two words
Awe-some.

This is what happens when you lose a bet.

2007-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Many of you know Mike Belcher, long time Downey resident often seen at his parents house and other Downey hot spots, recently paid off a bet.

Mike is in a fantasy football league and two week ago agreed on a bet that his team would score more points than a fellow fantasy footballer. The loser would have to wear a womans sports bra to our Friday night co-ed softball game. Obviously Mike was on the losing end of the bet, but staying true to his word sported this nice Wal-Mart beauty.

Mike's parents also attended this wonderful event so next time you see Bob and Cheryl ask if they are proud...I'm sure they are.

Thanks Mike for a great night of co-ed softball.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T08:47:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday ProMedia Publication held its annual Halloween Costume Contest Party, it was held then because nobody is in the office this week. As I said in a previous post I would be going as Michael Vick and bringing my neighbors one-eyed-dog with me as a prop. Me and Willie brought home second place and $20. Not to bad for a fairly easy costume to put together. We lost to the warehouse guy who came as a witch....which was pretty funny. Good times.

FINALLY!

2007-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

For the 2.5 of you that read my blog I'm sure you already know this but in case you forgot the brand spankin new Brittany Spears album is out today. I suggest you run out and get yourself a copy and enjoy the brilliance.

A Night at the Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-29T21:05:00.001-07:00

What would you take?

2007-10-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

In lieu of the recent wild fires, I got to thinking. If a knocked came to my door and I only had 10 minutes to evacuate, what would I take. Assuming I would throw what I could into a back pack, I came up with this short list.

• My Laptop. Only reason for this is because it stores all my photos I've ever taken.
• Food for my dog. She's the closest thing I have to a child so I have to take care of her.
• Deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste.
• Extra pair of shoes.
• Important papers that are in my lock box. Passport, insurance papers, etc.
• Clothes if there is room left.

What would you take?

Too soon?

2007-10-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is Willy. One eyed Willy to be exact. Yes he is missing an eye and I haven't performed Photoshop surgery on him, he just doesn't have an eye. Why am I posting about a one eyed dog on my blog site you ask? Willy is the what is going to win me the Halloween costume contest at work. Yes I'm going as Michael Vick. Good times.

You didn't do anything!

2007-10-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

There is one thing I cannot stand when it comes to sports. It is when a fan of a team, lets say Patriots, calls to tell you that WE kicked your team, lets say Cowboys, ass. No YOU didn't do anything. You merely sat in front of a TV and watched millionaires do their job. You didn't strap on a jock strap, you didn't catch an 80 yard pass from Tom Brady, you didn't kick a field goal. You didn't do a thing. So if you plan on calling me and letting me know how your team did that day merely say, my team kicked ass today and won. Not, We kicked your ass today!

No YOU didn't.

I feel better now.

Good Luck Curt and Laura

2007-10-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

Today many of you may or may not know that Curt and Laura are going in to have their baby. So I just wanted to wish them well and may their baby be happy and healthy. Good luck you guys!

Ever have one of those nights?

2007-10-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

I have. For about the past ten years I've had re-occurring dreams. Not scary dreams, well not in the sense that you're falling from a building and reaching the bottom or someone is chasing you with a gun. No mine are different. I've created an amusement park in my dreams.

It started back when I was previously married. I woke up one morning and remembered having a dream about a roller coaster that was underwater with a track that occasionally broke the surface of the water then went back underneath. I thought it was pretty cool. I actually did a couple of sketches of that one. From there they have just kept coming.

In the beginning, all I could do is see these roller coasters. I couldn't get on them. I'm not really sure I would have either. These beasts of a coasters were insane. Things that could probably not be recreated in reality, but the people on them always seemed to be enjoying them.

The next phase as I like to call it were a series of walk through attractions that came to me in my dream. Something like you would see at Knotts Scary Farm without the monsters. Just continuous walking until you finally came out the other end. Those were pretty interesting because I always felt that something was just around the corner, but nothing ever happened.

Then a strange twist happened. About the time my divorce was finalized. My dreams took a turn. My roller coasters became trains. Flat running trains that covered vast amounts of land and seemed to go on forever. I missed the crazy roller coasters but the trains were a nice change.

Then I met Megan my wife now and the coasters have come back. Not only nightly, but now I sometimes ride the rides. Last night I had a first. A little girl was on one of my coasters screaming to get off the ride. When the ride came to an end the little girl was crying out of fear. I felt bad for her in my dream but I thought she had learned a lesson that she wasn't a fan of roller coasters.

I have obviously seen the connection between my dreams and my real life. We all have ups and downs and sometimes things flatten out and everything seems ok, only to have the tracks suddenly drop or make a sharp turn. I've learned to embrace my dreams and look forward to going to bed at night knowing that I might have another coaster to ride or see. I enjoy my dreams and hope they never stop.

Back from the dead...

2007-10-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

...well at least off Nathan's dead blarg friend list. Of course that's if he takes me off. I don't know if I exceeded my time off limit.

Here's a brief update of my life's events.

January 1, 2007 I started working at Get Marketing, Inc. where I was the Marketing Director/Graphic Designer/Production Coordinator. After 7th months of working there I decided to come back to my previous job at ProMedia Pubishing where I am now designing magazines again. Why I came back isn’t really necessary for me to explain, but lets just say I wasn’t happy there. Either way, I’m glad to be back and around people I consider family.

After 7 years of living in the state of Washington, my dad has decided to move back down to California. About a month ago I flew up and to get him and we drove back down. It was a good time to spend with my dad and I think our bond grew even stronger on that short car trip home. He is now living about 10 minutes from where I live in Huntington Beach. He is at a Westminster senior living community where he is getting along great. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are poker night and he loves it.

My wife recently started a part time business call SecretXposure. It’s a photo company that specializes in boudoir photos. It’s going extremely well and I’m very proud of her and her endeavors. It’s actually really cool and I should have a website up soon.

The Dodgers still suck and had a horrible season.

I'm still addicted to chess.

The new TV season is upon us and Friday Night Lights is still the best show on tv. Hands down. Sorry all you Heroes freaks, don’t worry I’m one as well, but FNL blows it out of the water.

Tool is still my favorite band of all time but I have found a new joy in Buddy Guy. Good stuff.

In all, not much has changed since my last post and I'm looking forward to posting again.

Go Ducks!