September 30, 2003
-4pm Breaking News - For you JT fanatics (and I know it's not just the ladies) It will be announced sometime today or tomorrow that Justin Timberlake - mr. All the ladies love me - will be performing at the Norva on October 14. Tickets will be on sale this Friday through ticketmaster and Backstage Cafe. He's doing a club tour, meaning no big venues, called the Lovin' It Live Club tour, for an "intimate" setting. The tour will stop in only a few select cities, so Norfolk gets lucky with this one - thanks to the neptunes. This one may get a little crazy, the Norva can only hold about 1500 people. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday morning, expect them to be sold out by 10:02am. Good luck. Now if I could only get Britney in an intimate setting...

September 30, 2003
Set your TiVo's!! Tomorrow, some friends of mine are going to be featured on A Wedding Story. The show will air on TLC (the same channel as Trading Spaces) at 2pm. It features Dave & Grace Malinag Alegre. Dave is a local videographer who does the videos for several weddings, so TLC thought it was fitting for The Wedding Story to do the video for the videographer. The wedding was held back in February and I'm sure we'll get to see lots of friends and scenes from Hampton Roads. It's also a filipino wedding. Here's a little more on the show.

Last night I checked out Danny Hoch while he opened up the Old Dominion Literary Arts Festival. Hoch is a nerdy looking, Jewish, white guy, but he performs monologues about the hip hop culture. His show is a can be considered a theatre play/spoken word/performance art piece. Along the lines of what John Leguizamo does with his broadway shows. But Danny is all about the hip hop culture and it's affects on society. He takes it to a socio-political and controversial level. He performs as several hilarious characters such as a crippled puerto rican who brags about his dancing, a white, suburban teen that wants to be a gangsta rapper, and a bronx street vendor that gets harrassed by police because they don't know what race he is. The performance goes from hilarious to shockingly real and all the while makes several social statements on the state of urban life today. He's got a book out and a movie on his works is set to be released on video in December, but you may have already seen him on HBO or in a couple movies. He's gained critical acclaim for his work and I was really into everything he did last night. I'm glad I got to watch him (they were turning away people in droves because the venue was filled- and it was free). I definitely would like to catch him perform again.

I met him after his performance and I got him to autograph my copy of his book. Guess what I get...another "To Albert" autograph. He was a really down to earth guy though, so I'll excuse him for that. DJ Spooky speaks tomorrow at the Literary festival.

Maybe I should just get some free autographs and fill in my name myself. I mean, who doesn't want an autograph from Steve Guttenberg?

September 26, 2003
Tomorrow, I plan to again participate in the annual Bike/Walk Event on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (that is if it doesn't rain). I wanted to try the 17-mile Biking portion this year, but I never got around to buying a bike I liked. So I will again be walking the 3.5 miles to the first island of the bridge, where the fishing pier is at. Hopefully, the Hurricane didn't do any damage to the bridge so I think it's still on. I don't think they'd let people walk on it if it wasnt' safe. Plus,it's for a good cause too, since they ask for donations to the foodbank.

Intel is offering free Wi-Fi today. I think you may need Centrino on your laptop to take advantage. You can check here for the Intel Hotspots for the free Wi-Fi. Not too many places in the Hampton Roads area, but it seems like you folks up in NoVa can go virtually anywhere and find some free internet.

More video game news - A new Dance Dance Revolution came out yesterday (or today, depending on the store). DDRMax2 this time includes a lot of songs from the United States, such as Dirty Vegas, Kylie Minogue, DJ Sammy, and Jocelyn Enriquez. Yes, I still play. And it's good timing because I was starting to get lazy on my workouts (stops typing to take a big bite of my chili covered Big Bite hot dog).

I watched the American debut for "Coupling" last night. I'm a BIG fan of the british version (my season 3 DVD is in the mail right now), and so I was hating a little on NBC for trying to redo it for american audiences. Then I find out that they aren't even changing the scripts, it's basically word for word with the british version, giving me more skepticism. So NBC, why not save thousands of dollars and just release the british version here? Is the american audience turned off by the accents and lingo? Probably. So watching last nights episode, I knew all the jokes and yet I still laughed. But what bothers me is that the actors seem like they are trying to act just like the british actors, ie the mannerisms, facial expressions, etc. Also, they seem to be overemphasizing the "sex" of the show, they are trying to be controversial, whereas in the british version, they seem to act more normal and the "sex" parts seem more natural. There are a few hilarious episodes coming up (if they continue to follow the british scripts) and I can't wait to see how they will be done. But don't just take my word on this comparison. If you have access to BBC America, you can check it out yourselves. They are airing the original British versions in accordance with the NBC show. And there are lots of times to catch it, check out the schedule.

September 25, 2003
Gaming console news - The Gamecube is now selling for $99 everywhere. All the ads this sunday will reflect this price, but you can pretty much go to any store and find it now for $99. Not that big of a change from the $150 + a free game deal, but some people didn't like the games offered. Others may prefer used games or strickly rent only. But as someone who owns all three consoles, I do have more fun with the Gamecube that the other two. The graphics are not as top notch as the XBox, and the selection is not as huge as the PS2, but the games that I do play on the Gamecube are ones that I don't regret wasting hours on. And Mario Kart is only a few weeks away. The Wavebird Controller for the Gamecube is also the greatest controller ever made, at least it's the only wireless controller that uses radio waves instead of infrared.

Also of note, KBtoys may be having a sale on October 8 - 14 with them taking 30% off of most everything. It may or may not be advertised and the products that qualify have yet to be leaked, but this is part of some lawsuit settlement. They were sued because they were marking up their prices (giving a false reference price) and them "red-lining" them back down to give the impression of a sale or clearance price. Here's the legal stuff straight from the KB website:

Defendants will distribute the Net Settlement Fund by providing a discount at the cash registers of all KB Toys, KB Toy Works, KB Toy Outlet, Toy Liquidator and KB Toys Express stores nationwide, including Guam and Puerto Rico, equal to 30% off all qualifying purchases of $30 or more during October 8-14, 2003. This distribution (the "In-store Distribution") will be done without requiring a request of any store customer and will be separate and apart from, and in addition to, any previously planned promotional events for 2003. Defendants will not advertise or otherwise promote the distribution in advance of the In-store Distribution. Signs detailing the terms of the In-store Distribution, however, may be displayed in or around the stores during the In-store Distribution and up to 48 hours in advance of the In-store Distribution.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think I understood that document correctly. And if I'm all wrong about it, don't sue me.

September 24, 2003
There's some ugly news in the Philippine entertainment world. Kris Aquino, filipina actress and beloved tv host, is in a really bad break-up with boyfriend of 2 years, Mayor Joey Marquez. Kris is also the daughter of former President Corazon Aquino and the late Benigno Aquino. Kris claims that he pulled a gun on her after she accused him of having an affair. He rebutted by claiming she was also sleeping around with someone. She's got bruises and says he hit her, he claims she did it to herself since she may be suicidal. They are both airing their laundry on TV. It's tough to say who is telling the truth, but it is big news in the Philippines. It's their version of the Kobe drama.

September 23, 2003
It's tuesday, and it's a good day for music releases. A bunch of stuff out there of all kinds. The big one, in my opinion, is OUTKAST. Again, they went against the grain and did the unexpected. This time they put out a double album, with Big Boi and Andre 3000 featured on each disc. This is sort of their solo effort, but they are selling it together and each disc is so different. They have no plans to split up, and they've stressed it several times that they are still a group, but they wanted to do this album differently. I've been listening to my "sneak peek" version, and I believe this only continues to solidify Outkasts' legendary status in the hip hop world. The first part, "Speakerboxxx", is Big Boi's project. He put out an experimental hip hop sound. It's got a lot of guests and is not exactly the typical hip hop sound, but rather a sort of extension from what they were doing on the last two albums, "Aquemini" and "Stankonia", and if you don't know those albums, just believe that they were "out there". "The Love Below" is Andre 3000's project, and it is really something else. First I've got to say that this is not a "rap" album. It's more of a funk/R&B/soul album, rather it can't be classified. Not really much "rap" here. It's something I would expect from George Clinton and Parliament. It's something that seems heavily influenced by Prince. Andre calls it sophistifunk, and it really is funky. I'm a big Prince fan and I was blown away by this album. It may dissapoint those of you looking for a hip hop album, or songs like Rosa Parks or Mrs. Jackson. But I'm extremely feeling it.

I'm an Outkast fan and this double album is an example as to why I will continue to enjoy their stuff. This is their 5th album (not counting the greatest hits) and each album is completly different. You never know what to expect and it still comes out good and original, and that is what is lacking in hip hop today. It makes me compare them to a hip hop version of Radiohead. They aren't afraid to experiment on every album and by doing this they are gaining iconic status in their genre. There have been several experimental hip hop albums (Common's "Electric Circus" immediately comes to mind) but only Outkast has that drawing power that makes an actual impact on a major scale for all audiences. Again, this album isn't for everyone, but rather for those who are willing to listen with an open mind and accept the abstract value of it all.

Other notable releases -
Fellow pinoy DJ, DJ Babu, of the World Famous Beat Junkies is releasing "Duck Season: Vol 2" today. It's a mixtape done only the way Babu can do it. And if you are unfamiliar with the underground world of hip hop, this album features the cream of the crop and artists that actually matter.

Also,fellow virginian, Dave Matthews is releasing another album today. From what I've heard, it's smooth and mellow and reaches the high expectations his fans have for him.

I can go on about a few others, but I'm tired. I'm going to sleep.

September 22, 2003
It's the last day of summer, or the first day of autumn, depending on how you look at things. It's supposed to be a nice day today, and lots of people are still off of work while recovering from the hurricane. At least all the kids are still out of school.

Free ice cream cones today at Dairy Queen!! And if you're in hampton roads, good luck finding a DQ that didn't have their inventory melt away during the area wide power outage.

And while I'm on the topic of food, here's a quizno's coupon for you sub lovers. Funny thing is that the expiration date keeps changing everyday.

September 21, 2003
11:55am today... and there was light, again. Yes, the porteria household is now out of the dark ages and again enjoying air-conditioning, warm food and football on tv. On the 4th day of suffering through a humid, stale house, we again have electricity.

Funny thing is that this morning I woke up at 6:07 am, I looked around to see if the electricity was back up, but to no avail. It was a nice cool night, so I reached for a blanket since I was sleeping half-naked (listens to the sounds of female swoons), then all of a sudden, the power comes on. YES!!! All of the lights in the house were on. So I get up, since I was coincidentally already awake, to turn off the lights and the loud TV that was on when the power was zapped 4 days ago, then it went out again. Damn. It was on for 2 minutes. What a tease. But I figured they were still working on it so it should come back any minute now. I went back to sleep. 7:30am, I wake up again, still now power. The sun was up and the house was heating up again. I go back to sleep. 9:00am, the house is now warm again and the blanket comes off, still now power. I'm thinking, whatever they did to get the power up for two minutes, do it again. 9:45 am, I decide to get up because it was hot again, and I might as well go to church since I'm up. But my sister and her kid came over, so now I'm semi-babysitting and decide to just chill with them. Now I give up hope. I'm guessing that something else with the power went wrong and now I'm believing that they've moved onto the next neighborhood. So I go and take the dreaded cold shower by candlelight. I think I'm getting sick from these things. I'm just shivering the whole time and I'm not getting that same fresh feeling from a nice warm shower. But suddenly, minutes after taking, my frigid, candlelight shower, the power comes back. It's now been up for an hour and I am so relieved. I have returned to the internet and I am sane again.

September 20, 2003
We are still without electricity at home in the aftermath of Isabel. It's been 2 days already, and I think the food in the freezer is about to go bad(forget about what's in the fridge). We're also still without phone service. I have cell phone service, but not in my own house. I've got to walk about a block before I can get any kind of signal. But yesterday was a really nice day outside. It was about 80 degrees outside, but that equals about 85+ inside the house with humidity and no wind to cool things down.

So I'm driving home from work yesterday, expecting to survey all the damage done to the city, but rather most of it was cleaned up pretty early. Everywhere I went, there were people outside cleaning up their yards and streets. I mean there were people everywhere, and this was at 8:30 am. Every street in every neighborhood had people outside raking leaves, gathering branches, cutting up fallen trees, and cleaning up the mess. There were also lots of people just taking walks and riding bikes. I guess that everyone just wanted to get out of the house, especially since most everyone had no electricity, after being stuck at home for a day watching the wrath of Isabel. But it was really good to see people being "neighborly" to each other. There were also a lot of people grilling it up all day. With all of that meat defrosting in everyone's freezer, it only seemed reasonable to grill up the expensive stuff before it goes bad. If I had a $15 steak in the fridge, I d@mn well better not let it go to waist. I could have been full from a buffet or something, but if I had something like that, I would have made myself eat it.

I'm also surprised by all the people that didn't lose electricity. There are good portions of the city where it seems as nothing was affected. If you saw the storm that went through, you'd be surprised as to what is still up. Aside from all the downed trees, ripped up vinyl sidings, and lost roof shingles, most everyone came out okay in this mess. I know nothing happened to our house, except for my dads garden getting the early grave.

I think I'm spending the day visiting my friends (who still have electricity).

September 19, 2003
The hurricane is now past us, but this was the worst one I've been through, at least in terms of damage. We'd lost power at our house around 12:30pm this afternoon, and word is that it probably will not come back until Monday. We also lost our telephone line. Cell phone service is down and the whole area is a mess. Everyone is okay though.

The area is under a mandatory curfew because 95% of Hampton Roads is without electricity. There are trees down EVERYWHERE. Fences have been wiped out, there are stranded cars everywhere due to the widespread flooding, and basically everything is shut down. Damage can be seen in the pictures and videos at several websites - Pilotonline, WVEC, WTKR, WAVY. We spent the day listening to everything on the radio.

And now I'm bringing all of this to you from work. I went and broke the mandatory curfew and drove into here last night through dark and debris-filled roads. It was pretty dangerous because you can't see too far in front of you, with the street lights being out, and there are downed trees all over the roads. I couldn't believe that I was still expected to make it to work, but I'm here. I saw so much damage in my little half hour drive. And most people in Virginia Beach have no clue how much damage was sustained because everyone is stuck in their homes without electricity, so nobody is watching this stuff on the news either. I would have taken pictures, but I used the batteries in my camera for a couple of lights at home. I'll try to take some when the sun comes up today.

My work is currently running on generator power, with enough fuel to last 35 hours. Problem is that we are expected to be without power until possibly monday. We may get an emergency fill up sometime today, but the fuel shipment is not expected until monday, about 72 hours from now, so a shutdown may occur when I get back in tonight (yes, I'm still working a regular schedule).

So while I'm here at work, I'm taking advantage of the electricity. I'm eating warm foods, drinking cold drinks, listening to the radio, and surfing the internet. I figure the only people reading this today will be those of you not in hampton roads, unless you're in the lucky 5% to have electricity. But I'd just like everyone to know that me and the fam are doing okay.

September 18, 2003
Today, we are getting pounded by Hurricane Isabel. We won't be in her hole, but we're still getting a good beating from her.

So I'm sure most of you get today off. And if you scroll down, you'll read how I expected to get my off from work too. I mean most reasonable people realize that a hurricane is a dangerous occurence. Well, I was wrong. I've been screwed over again. Yes I was asked to work. Of course, I was the only one expected to come in, basically because I'm the young one sans family. I'm the expendable one. If anything happens to me, they figure it won't be that big of a loss. Everyone else was asked to stay home. How effed up is that?

So it's 10:30am and the eye of the hurricane is expected to reach landfall around 1:30pm, but it is really bad outside now. We are one of the lucky ones as we still have electricity. 200,000 homes have already lost power in the area and we haven't seen the worst of things. In fact, I'm typing this pretty fast in anticipation losing our electricity any second now. But me and the family are safe at home right now, braving the worst storm in decades. The post office has already sent my dad home, after they attempted to deliver mail for about an hour. My brother-in-law works for Virginia Power and he does have to work. But for now, all is well.

I wish everyone in VA safety and hope this hurricane sweeps by with minimal damage. Just looking outside right now, I can see that it's a bad one. So everyone else in other parts of the country, just know that everything is okay for now. And I've got my canned foods, water, and books as I'm expecting to be sitting in the dark (and computer-less... oh the horror) any second now.

For reals, everyone stay safe.

September 16, 2003
Pretty much all news projections are stating that is only imminent that Virginia Beach will get hit in some form by Hurricane Isabel. The governor has declared the area a state of emergency so that everyone can prepare for it. And everything is getting hectic (cue up the Snap record..."It's getting, it's getting, it's getting kinda hectic...I got the Power!!!). I went to Super Walmart yesterday, 4 days before the hurricane is expected to hit, and it was a mad house. I was there around 1pm, usually when people are at work or school, and the place was packed with people. It was crazy. People were snatching up all the water, can foods, batteries, etc. Some people just had the fear in their eyes. While I am concerned, people need to calm down - Mainly menopausal housewives. Some of these women are just straight rude, bumping and pushing me. I guess that's why I usually prefer shopping there after midnight. You may get a bunch of drunk teenagers, but at least they are funny and polite. But I got my water and canned foods (I got the last can of Spam...yeah! And all the local water places are already out of water.

It also appears that I may not have to go to work when the hurricane hits. While this is normal for most people, I've had to go to work during the last two hurricanes. And my little Nissan Sentra couldn't drive too straight in 90mph winds, and this hurricane is up around 120+ mph winds. But the university has added more dorms this year, so there are more students living on-campus and the recognition that ODU has as a commuter school is diminishing. And so they've got to be responsible for these students and the current plan right now is to evacuate them to a western college (word is that this will be Longwood College). So evacuating them will lead to the cancellation of classes and the closure of the University. Anyways, ODU is right on the Atlantic Ocean. If this hurricane were to hit Norfolk directly, ODU would pretty much be underwater. And they figure that I won't need to come in if I can't get to work without a boat.

Last night I saw Underworld, but I didn't like it. I'll probably give a better review after the hurricane passes, but here's a quicky for ya. It was okay, and all you sci-fi geeks should like it, but the story was too dumb for me. There were too many problems with the plot and it drags in too many spots. But when there is action, it's pretty good. There just isn't enough of it in this type of movie. I give them props for not using too much CGI for the "monsters" but rather doing it "Thriller" style with actors in makeup. And Kate Beckinsale is effin HOT when she's kicking @ss that tight leather outfit. I usually don't like her movies though - "Shooting Fish" (a romantic comedy that's not funny),"Brokedown Palace" (she was extremely annoying, and then they go and diss the Philippines when they're trying to promote the movie), "Pearl Harbor" (the best scenes were the ones she wasn't in), "Serendipity" (too predictable, and she was at fault for playing some stupid game with fate). So I don't like this movie, but I liked watching her in it. But if I want to just watch some hot chic with a bunch of vampires and werewolves, I'd just catch a rerun of Buffy on TV for free.

It's new music tuesday. DMX's new album comes out today. So if you want to support good hip hop, don't buy this piece of sh!t, buy something else. Spend your money on some rock music, there's some good ones out today - A Perfect Circle, Maroon 5, Thrice, Thursday. And Erykah Badu comes out today too. Check for that.

September 13, 2003
Today is the anniversary of the death of Tupac Amaru Shakur June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996. You either loved him or hated him, he left an indelible mark on hip hop. The first time I heard him spit one verse,as a member of Digital Underground, I was an immediate fan. VERY RARELY does someone impress me with one verse, but when I heard that one verse, I knew I was listening to something special. I remember where I was the first time I'd heard him rhyme, and for that I say peace.

Timberland stores, outlet stores, and timberland.com are having their friends and family sale this weekend. Here's the hookup! You get 40% off at the timberland store and online, 30% off at the outlet store. If shopping online, use the code: family. And don't forget about the lifetime warrenty timberland has on their shoes.

I'm going to check out the second annual Universal Band Experience (UBE) today at ODU. It's a concert featuring a bunch of local asian bands. Included this year are Astropop 3, Break Green (formerly Straight Bent), and Blackbird Pond.

excerpts from a recent conversation between lu & me:

Lu: What are you gonna do saturday?

El: I'm checking out UBE, a concert with a bunch of local asian bands.

Lu: Asian Bands? Is silverscene going to be there?

El: I don't think they're together anymore.

Lu: Then who's left. Tipjar? Are they going to be there?

El: Tipjar? Aren't they like 50 years old now or something? They're old.

Lu: 50?!! They're my age dummy.

September 12, 2003
A sad way to start a Friday morning....a tale of two johns...damn...peace and prayers...

RIP - The Man in Black.
He was an amazing songwriter. The original gangster on wax. He killed more people in his lyrics than most rappers today. He sang about murders, prisons, stealing women, and committing crimes. Sound like anything today? I've always acknowledged the lack of disparity between rap and country, but they are often viewed on opposite sides of the spectrum. But good music usually defies boundaries and the Man in Black is a great example of that.

So sad, just months after the death of his wife and while he was regaining popularity and recognition from his latest work. I remember flipping through channels earlier this year and running across the video for "Hurt" on the country music channel. It was engaging. I remember thinking that he did it better than NIN, and I loved the NIN version. I went and dl'd it right away. It was a little tough to find too, not too many country folk on the file-swapping tip.

-----
RIP - This man was a Trip!!!

Who didn't love Three's company growing up. I saw some list a few months ago proclaiming it the #1 most guilty pleasure on TV (edging out Saved By the Bell). Jack Tripper was just so corny, that he was hilarious. I've seen them all, even the spin-off, Three's a Crowd, when he opened his restaurant. I even enjoyed him on the short lived Hooperman, but I think I was the only one watching.

And he was pretty young. His new show probably hadn't even peaked in popularity. I know a lot of people that love that show, and it's terrible that someone who shared laughter with the world will now be mourned.

------

and my sister's car was broken into this morning too... this sux.

-------

And today should really be august 30...
*On Sept 2, 1752, England and the American colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in the British Empire. Due to the change, the next day ended up being Sept 14th. We lost 11 whole days

September 11, 2003
Today is the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. A lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same. Are we better off today? I don't know. It is a crazy time in history but on a personal level, life is good. I can go on and debate the state of the nation and international policies, but I'd rather let people just form their own opinions.

I do have an issue with those who like to proclaim today Patriot Day. I'd rather today be a day to mourn those who we have lost rather than to celebrate the renewed faith people have suddenly discovered due to a tragedy. I wasn't too crazy about the renewed faith in "patriotism" that people suddenly discovered due to this tragedy and I'm still not crazy about righteous flag wavers who really have not had much contribution to the nation other than bragging about being american and spreading non sensical propaganda.

Okay, so I'm a little pissy today. I guess that's due to the coincidence that I also watched Bowling for Columbine this week. Although the focus was Micheal Moore's search for why America is a violent culture, it does touch upon the problems around the world that this nation has been involved in. It is a Micheal Moore "documentary", and people should realize that his documentaries can be one-sided and he is pretty good at editing and leading interviews into a certain direction. He also knows how to use phrases and quotes out of context. But he does bring up thought provoking issues, several that I've already debated before seeing this movie, and one issue that has always perturbed me (and I've been outspoken about this before) is the biased reporting of the US media. Again, I don't want to get into anything to "weighty" but it does strike certains chords in me. There are several points in the movie that I agree and disagree with, but it does create a topic of debate and that, I believe, is a good thing. It's better that we discuss what is best than to be ignorant of any problems.

Maybe tomorrow I'll be in a better mood.

And now for some musical excerpts:

-----------Talib Kweli "The Proud"----------

My heart go out to everybody at Ground Zero
Red, black, yellow, white and brown heroes
It's more complicated than black and white
To give your own life is the greatest sacrifice
But it's hard for me to walk down the block
Seeing rats and roaches, crack viles and 40 ounce posters
People broken down from years of oppression
Become patriots when they way of life is threatened
It's a hard conversation to have
We lost kids, moms and dads, people ready to fight for the flag
Damn, when did shit get this bad?
America kill the innocent too, the cycle of violence is sad
Damn! Welcome to the world, we here
We've been at, war for years but it's much more clear (yeah)
We got to face what lies ahead
Fight for our truth and freedom and, ride for the dead

----------------"Makeshift Patriot" Sage Francis-----------

...hospitals are overwhelmed. volunteers need to go the hell home
Moments of silence for fire fighters were interupted by cell phones
Who's going to make that call to increase an unknown death toll?
It's the one we rally behind
He's got a megaphone...and he's promising to make heads roll
So we cheer him on, but asbestos is affecting our breath control
The less we know...the more they fabricate...the easier it is to sell souls
An addictive 24 hour candle light vigil in TV's
Freedom WILL be defended...at the cost of civil liberties
Viewers are glued to television screens
Stuck... cause lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heart strings for theme music

I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at and what foot is right to kiss
We don't know who the culprit is yet...but he looks like this
We know who the heros are. Not the xenophobes who act hard
"We taught that dog to squat.
How dare he do that shit in our own back yard!"

They happened to scar our financial state and char our landscape
Can you count how many times so far I ran back this same damn tape?
While a camera man creates news and shoves it down our throats on the West Bank
With a 10 second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst

So get your tanks and load your guns and hold your sons in a family huddle
Because even if we win this tug of war and even the score...humanity struggles
There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess...but the rest were looking for trouble

Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
Hang Myself...Half Mast
Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop is Out of Stock
I hang myself, don't waive your rights with your flags

September 9, 2003
It's September already, and basically the summertime is over. But I'm really starting to like September a lot. First of all, kids are back in school. Now that I'm no longer in school, I'm enjoying things now. I can now get back out during the day without a bunch of kids around. I can go to the rec center without a big crowd. The malls are more quiet and there aren't any lines for anything. I can go to eat lunch and things are more quiet. Now it's just me and the retired elderly.

The weather has also cooled down significantly. No more 100 degree temps and the humidity is now bearable. But there goes one of my excuses for not doing a daily run (I'm supposed to be working my way up to running a 10k). But I can drive around without sweating in my car (that has no A/C). I've even played some tennis, I'm trying to get to a time years ago when I was actually good. Andy Roddick didn't have a thing on me. I had a 140mph serve too (it may have went over the fence, but I'm sure it was over 100mph).

It's also the start of football season. The Redskins actually won their first game of the year, but I think the free Britney/Aerosmith/etc. concert to kick off the season is a bigger deal to more people here and in the DC area. To me at least.

"The Debut" comes out on DVD today loaded with extras. The independent filipino-american film can now be seen at home with commentary. Good luck finding it though. I don't thind the local Best Buy or Target will be carrying it. I went and ordered mine online, and I've already seen the movie 4 times in a theatre. (I really gotta upload my picture with Joy Bisco sometime).

NOTE: A 7-11 1/4lb Big Bite hot dog loaded with tons of free chili and a mocha frappachino do not make a good combination at 3am. Well, I guess it doesn't make a good combination any time of the day.

September 4, 2003
I just have to say that THE ROOTS ARE THE BEST EFFING BAND IN THE WORLD!!!!
So I'm home, after having the weeknight off, and I'm sore from enjoying the Sprite Liquid Tour concert last night. The Roots and N.E.R.D. rocked it big time. I had the best time. I'd like to write more (and probably will later) but I've gotta rest. I'm exhausted.

September 2, 2003 - I haven't posted much lately, so to make it up, here's an extra long one.
I hope everyone had a safe and joyous labor day. At least for those of you that had the day off. ODU has traded the Labor Day holiday this year with Columbus day, but that doesn't affect me too much since I work nights. I did work every night during the weekend though and it's always rough working the graveyard shift on days I don't normally work it. It's like my body knows that it shouldn't be at work on a Saturday or Sunday night.

I actually had a pretty good week last week. It started off with a few bad things, but overall it was good. I'll summarize it in a good thing/ bad thing way.

Bad thing
Monday, I woke up really early so I can get to the auto tire place to get new tires. One of my tires started tearing away and was at the verge of falling apart. No, scratch that, it WAS falling apart. Big chunks were missing and I can feel pieces falling every mile I slowly went. So I wanted to be at the tire store early because I know what kind of wait I may have if I go later in the day. And I called them up and they said it was a 2+ hour wait, but will get worse as the day goes along. So I get up really early and head to the tire store that is only about 2 or 3 miles away (they were having a sale too, that's why I wanted to go here). I drive slowly there and as I get closer, I notice there is a huge traffic jam where I need to go. In fact, I can't even get into the street where the tire shop is because of an accident compounded with regular Monday morning rush hour. It was crazy traffic. The kind I couldn't sit in because I couldn't trust my tire to hold up while I tried to weave on through. So I journey on to the next tire store. Actually, I was just journey-ing on, not knowing where I was going, when I found another tire shop. One that was nowhere near any kind of traffic. And since there is no traffic...
Good thing
there was a shorter wait than the other place. It was only about an hour wait. This place is right in front of Tidewater Community College (TCC) so I decide to spend my one hour wait hanging out at TCC. It was a hot summer day and people were out and about. I tell you...
Good thing
Community College girls are alright. Unlike the university chics that can roll out of bed and go to class in their pj's, community college girls seem obligated to spend time and look good.

So I walk back to get my car and
Bad thing
it cost a little more than I expected. So I paid with money I didn't have, or at least wasn't sure was in my account. This is because that weekend, I had bought tickets online for a preseason NBA game at ODU (76ers vs. Hornets). Tickets went on sale Saturday morning and was expected to sell out. There was a 4 ticket limit. So I get online, do my magic, and get my 4 (expensive) tickets. I actually needed a few more. So, hoping they don't catch me breaking the limit, I do more online magic and buy 3 more before they sell out. I get my confirmation for both sales and so I think I've got 7 tickets but...
Bad thing
on sunday I check with ticketmaster online and find out that my second order was cancelled. I'm not sure how this affects the credit card because the transaction of the sale doesn't go through until Monday. So hoping that the cancelled order doesn't try to charge the card, I use this card to pay for my tires, but
Bad thing
it does charge my card (pushing it over the limit & costing me some OTL fees) and then credits the card with the refund later in the day.

But as the week went on things got better.

Wednesday I got a bunch of little errands done and that's always good. And then at night...
Good thing
I took a cool homegirl to a Ben Folds/ Tori Amos concert. I'm a Ben Folds fan and he "rocked the suburbs". He was pretty cool. She's a Tori Amos fan and Tori Amos did good. She did do over two hours of her songs, and to me that was a bit too much (zzzz). I think it was too much for both of us because we left during the second encore, about 7 or 8 songs into it. And it still seemed that she was going to go on all night. It was still fun to go to. Especially when it's with someone who actually likes the music. It's real tough to find someone who likes the weird stuff that I like.

Since I was expecting to work over the weekend, I decide to take this night off. So for once, I didn't have to rush things to get to work. So after the concert, we went out to eat. I tell you...
Good thing
it felt so nice being out late on a weekday. And it was even better that I was spending it with a chill homegirl as opposed to the fellas.

Since I didn't have to work that night, the next morning I was able to get up early and
Good thing
and play golf with a good friend. This was his 3rd time ever playing, so for a change, I was the experienced golfer. And I actually did really good. It was a nice morning and I was hitting more "good" shots (what I would call good, may be bad for better golfers) than "bad" shots. And when I hit a "bad" shot, it was pretty bad (i lost a lot of golf balls). But we had a really good time. One of the better golf outings I've had.

And on the way home from that, I stopped off at a gas station to fill up. While I'm pumping gas, a pinay chic pulls up to the pump next to me.
Good thing
It turns out that this is the same pinay that I've been "oogling" over since I've seen her at a few parties and events. She's been in a couple commercials for local bars and I think she's trying to be a model. I don't even know her name. But she begins pumping her gas, then she decides that she needs to get something out of her car. She knew I was watching her. She opens the car door, bends over, and I've got a full view of her GOOD THING. I just had to leave after that.

Good thing
Friday was also payday!!

Saturday I went to the store a bought "Soul Caliber" for the Game Cube. I went to pay for it and the cashier rang it up wrong. She took off $10 too much. I tried to be the nice guy and told her about her mistake but...
Good thing
she still let me have it at that price.

Sunday...
Good Thing
I went to a baseball game with my sister, her husband, and their kid on Sunday. We watched the game from the picnic area and we got free food and refreshments. And it was the last game of the year there, so after the game, there were fireworks, and I luv me some fireworks. It was a nice night with the fam.

Labor day...
I had my fantasy football draft during the morning. I wasn't as prepared as I usually try to be for the draft, but I did decent. I won't really know until the football season starts though. Then I headed over to Nestor's place where he had a little Labor Day cookout. Good friends & good food always equal a good time.

But I did have to work every night over the weekend, and with it being such an eventful one, it's really taking a toll on me. I am so worn out. I've got a few things I'm supposed to take care of today, but I think I'm just going to catch up on some sleep. I've got to work tonight, but tomorrow

Good thing
I'm going to see the Sprite Liquid Tour with the ROOTS and N.E.R.D and others. I'm excited about that. And I even took tomorrow night off. So another weeknight to stay out late, Yeah!!!