CANNABIS SCHNANABIS

One of my ghetto buddies is a member of an LA cannabis club and today he showed me all the different varieties he's tried. It's like Amsterdam!

But I was rarin' to go out because I picked-up the Inland Empire Weekly at the local library. I always enjoy their nightclub section and wanted to see if there was anything to it. We cruised through downtown Pomona and noticed a little bar that people seemed to be hangin' around. But there were no black guys so my ghetto buddy wasn't feelin' it.

Then we decided to check out the $2 you call it night at The Cellar in Upland. We drove all the way there and found out they were closed. So far, this IE Weekly sucks. As a last resort, we drove to the Buffalo Inn and found out they were closed too.

Still, I had fun because not only were there several blunts, there was also a little canna-candy that I got to try. Good shit.

SUPER TIRED

I ran just two miles in the heat and it felt hot. Once I got going, it was easier to run and it felt like just getting started from a cold start was shorter. Right now, it takes about two laps to feel comfortable. Still, the last lap is tough. I feel like such a wuss. But as I've learned, sometimes it takes a long time to get where you're going.

I also did my usual shoulder workout. It's great because I actually feel sleepy. The Vegas trip has changed up my bio-clock. Staying up late and waking up late has reverted me back to a former bio-clock. Unfortunately, I'm too old for this shit.

MARATHON SLEEP

I got up pretty late because I couldn't get to sleep last night. Every time I go to Vegas, I lose my sense of sleep and my sleeping pattern changes. I had fun in LV and missed it already. There's just so much to do and so many people and things to see, I never tire of it.

Moms called and I picked her up at Ate Chipay's house. The crew that moms went with were all there, resting and waiting for me. Of course, they made me eat immediately. Kuya Manny really knows how to BBQ and I am so glad he married Ate Chipay. She deserves a good man like him.

When I got home, I crashed and woke up hungry for dinner. I wanted to continue sleeping because I felt so sleepy. I don't know why. I ate dinner with moms who looked like she was also in a sleep state and starting to get sick.

Then I left to pick up the fishies from Jansen. They looked okay but I thought Casper looked a little small for some reason. It's probably because he really is small when he's swimming right next to Blue.

CLASS, RACE, ETHNICITY

The Clippers lost tonight. They lost bad. Although I was rooting for them, I don't have a very long connection with them. I am what you call a bandwagoner. I don't know where the hell the word comes from (does it have Western history?) so I did a little research. Read this first, then come back.

Anyway, I admit - I like listening to music on the wagon without having to walk next to it. Hello? This blog is "My Bumming Life"! What d'ya think?! I'm a lazy mother fucker. It's true. But I'm gonna change that, don't worry. Just give me a minute. Which brings me to a thought - if I motivate, exact change and become a busy, non-time wasting, good employee who happily works for the Man, then would I need to change the name of the blog? Interestingly, I don't think so. In fact, it would probably make for an even more relevant title.

So, although the Clips lost, my heart doesn't ache. The Suns already broke it in Game 5. With just 1.something seconds left in the game, Raja Bell hit a three pointer to tie the game. The game went to Double Overtime which the Suns eventually won. That loss was a heartbreaker and I predicted, at that time, that there was no way a team can come back from that kind of a loss. Of course, it really doesn't matter if I was wrong or right. In fact, I'm wrong 50% of the time and no one really cares. People normally nod their head because it really doesn't matter.

But when your heart is in something, that's when things start to matter. When you're doing something you feel is right, it's motivational. Success breeds success and the better you get at something, the more rewarding it feels. All the hard work, blood, sweet and tears actually make things feel more important. For example, in the "Little Prince", we learn that what gives value to something is the time and energy you spend on it.

It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important,

says the Fox. So even though there are millions of roses (just like there are millions of men Rachelle), it is the time you waste that makes it important.

Today I learned that sometimes people you don't totally trust, can sometimes work it out. They can be reliable, at times. Is that sentence an oxymoron? Anyway, I got a hold of some medicine from my Pomona (probably most ghetto) friend. His demeanor isn't totally ghetto, but he definitely lives in the 'hood. Still, he's gettin' by and came through tonight. Pretty cool shiznit. Very heady.

Anyway, this dude is a different race, class and ethnicity. Do these things affect the way I am perseving him? Or is it the experience you have of something that shapes your mind? Or do other things play a part.

8 IS INFINITY SIDEWAYS

I woke up to a call from my niece who was asking when I would be coming over. I was way too sleepy to talk and got up about 1:30p to eat.

Since I was "residging" and fiending for some bud, I didn't really have much of an appetite. I ate whatever was in the fridge and lounged around all day. I was supposed to have dinner at my bro's in Corona, but since moms' flight was delayed, I decided to just kick back and chill.

I picked up moms and her first cousin this evening and got home and played some poker. Tomorrow, I hope to do a trade with Jarvis. We'll see if it happens.

SPLASHED MOUNTAIN

Today is Tam's birthday - Happy birthday Tam! She asked some of her good friends to take the day off so we could all go to Disneyland.

The rides were the usual fun, but what was incredibly fun was Splash Mountain. After the big drop got Joyce soaked (since she was in front), she wanted everyone else to get wet so she started splashing around. The other girls got mad and told her to stop. So she did.

Then, next thing I know, water is getting poured on my head and I'm soaked! So of course, it was time for revenge and I used my paddling technique to get everyone else wet to the bone. We all had a good laugh and let the sun dry us off.

DAY WITH THE AUNTIE

Last night (early morning), I stayed up watching Capturing the Friedmans which is a documentary about the Friedmans in Long Island, NY and the trials they went through during the Salem witch hunts of the 80s. I was first exposed to the movie through a Cal newsletter that featured the director. He graduated from Cal's Graduate School of Journalism around the same time I graduated. I also ended up doing some freelance work for an ad agency that was hired to promote the film. They wanted to be sure the art houses were actually showing the ads for the film during the previews.

Of course, I felt it was necessary for me to put it on my Netflix list. What a fascinating movie but to learn that it took up about three years of the director's life amazed me. Would I have the tenacity and patience to go through such an ordeal for a film? When I can answer yes to that question, then I think I'll be ready to tackle the film industry.

I bought some food for my T. Esma who is in town. We had a nice talk during the day about life and the stresses it puts on us. It was nice to hear some tales she would tell me about her father. It turns out her dad was much more strict than my grandfather (her uncle). In fact, there was one time when she was ready to go out to a ball with one of my uncles (a special one that not everyone is invited to) and on that same day, her dad told her she couldn't go. She was devastated and cried and punched on the pillow that was in her room so no one would hear. These kinds of stories fascinate me because (true or untrue), they make up the matrix of my family's history.

A family website has always been on my mind, but no one has the time or inclination to create one. However, now that Jansen is working on his degree, maybe he'll learn enough to be our webmaster. Then it will be a load of fun to put content up on the site.

Later, we had dinner at a Brazilian restaurant with all the oldies courtesy of T. Bebot. Binggoy and Rachelle showed up too so I was glad that I wasn't the only "young" one there. Afterwards, we watched the Clippers lose a heartbreaker to the Phoenix Suns. Let's see if they have enough willpower to win at home.

RUNNING AGAIN

After a long nap, I got up grudgingly to get ready to run. I didn't sleep well last night because that late night nap I took messed up my sleep schedule.

I walked and ran two miles and it was relatively easy. I was a little worried it would be really tough because it was pretty warm today.

I got back home and showered. Moms came and picked me up and off we went to pick T. Esma up. However, she didn't know that we were going to eat out for dinner. So instead, we picked up some burgers at In-N-Out and went home to watch the Dallas vs. Spurs game. It was a great game and it looks like Dallas might head to the Western Conference Finals this year going up 3-1 in the series.

SICK SICK SICK

The only thing that is on my mind is my being sick. Snoop once rapped, "my mind on my money and my money on my mind." Well, my rap could be, "my mind on my sickness and my sickness on my mind." I can't stand it but it's probably because I'm just homebound. I am going to get out tomorrow and chill. Maybe I can even wash my car just to get my mind off this sickness.

The Clippers won today and I'm glad they're doing well. It's nice to be able to follow a team even after the Lakers have lost. I like Dunleavy as coach and I like the Clippers' defense. They're not nearly as popular as the Lakers, but I suppose that's why I like them. Maybe it's time to buy a Clippers jersey to be a true bandwagoner.

The most interesting development tonight was Chris Dougherty getting eliminated from American Idol. Everyone seemed to think it would be her and Catherine McPhee in the finals. Moms was super shocked when they announced he would go home tonight. Pretty shocking, I must say, but that's American Idol for you. It's no wonder it's such a popular show. I just think about how much money the creator has made from it. That's the kind of producer I dream to be.

I also had an interesting conversation with my cuz Ray. Every time we talk, it's always a really good conversation. It doesn't matter how long we've been apart, we can start talking and it seems like we've never lost touch. I think we get each other. We talked about a bunch of things and the one subject we can never seem to get away from is our relationship with Rachelle. She's an incredibly complicated subject that will take a full blog to just scratch the surface. One of these days, I'll dedicate some space to just her because I can go on and on about her.

LEARNED HELPLESSNESS

Either the guy I met with at Lactagen is sick and has not returned my email, or he decided it was best to find someone else to work with. Either way, I don't really have a problem with it because I'm very suspicious of this company and my experience at HelpCity has taught me not to move forward with things that don't work well with my gut. Gut feelings, I'm learning (since I'm reading a book called Blink by Malcolm Gladwell), are more than what you might think they are.

I felt ill all day and it seems like my illness is getting worse. I felt really good yesterday, but maybe it was because I was taking medicine. My body will fight this cold off eventually, but I wish it would do it much faster. I think my lack of exercise is also contributing to this feeling because exercising really helps me reduce my overall levels of stress.

As I was surfing the Internet today reading the news, I learned about "learned helplessness". The American Prospect's editor was writing a piece that was much talked about in Washington about the Democratic Party. He likened them to the dogs in the 60s experiment that were exposed to electric shocks. They had the opportunity to escape the shocks, but instead, they cowered in the corner and whined, feeling that nothing they could do would matter.

In a way, I'm wondering if I have learned helplessness having had bad experiences with the advertising world. In fact, yesterday, I kind of wondered why I wanted to even work in advertising again. I think I have decided not to pursue media anymore, but to accept work as an account executive just for the experience. I would not mind learning to manage an account and a campaign from start to finish. I believe this could help me with other creative positions I ever get involved with.

Strangely, I also had a feeling that I would be content working for a university. I suppose it fits into my general ideals of educating people and giving back. It also fits with my socialist attitudes of not worrying about making money. I suppose that's why I would never really care about becoming Trump's apprentice.

PART TIME WORK

I've been so sick the past few days, I can't even remember what it feels like to be "normal". I was sick for about two weeks and finally getting over the cold (and running around the track again), and then I caught what my nephew Jay had. He came over one day kind of mad that I had gotten him sick, but it turns out that he had something totally different. Anyway, he described a cough that you just could not treat with salt water gargling, cough drops, cough medicine, throat sprays or anything over the counter. The reason it could not be treated was because the cough originated from the very entrance of his lungs where nothing could reach it except air.

The first day of this "cold" was horrible. I spent the night coughing and coughing because not only had it just begun manifesting itself physically (there's always a few days of hibernation with colds and viruses), I had also blown some trees that same day and that aggravated it. I was dry hacking and there seemed to be no relief. It was also very difficult to sleep because I could hardly breathe without coughing. It was awful.

I had a meeting with a company that learned about me through some of my former co-workers in the Bay. My friend Emily is in Spain right now so she sent me an opportunity from an Internet cafe there. It's for a company that sells a product that helps people with lactose intolerance. They're known as Lactagen.

It was good that they have an office right in Century City, but I couldn't help but wonder if this was one of those vitamin companies that sell people things they don't really need. Then, it made me wonder even more when I found out that they outsource practically everything in the company. On top of all this, they get most of their leads from email drops, or essentially, junk mail.

However, they seemed legit enough to continue the conversation so we'll see where it goes.