AI WEIWEI

I'm so fearful, that's not fearless. I'm more fearful than other people, maybe, then I act more brave because I know the danger is really there. If you don't act the danger becomes stronger.
- Ai Weiwei

KRAFT NABISCO LPGA MAJOR

I woke up feeling I might be coming down with something. Maybe all that coughing from moms around the house finally got to me. I hate getting sick and then getting sick right after again, but who knows, maybe it's still the flu lingering around.

I headed out to Corona to pick up Jared and Kylie but was running late. When I got to the 71, it was backed-up and I wasn't sure if it was an accident or just rush hour. Thank goodness Jared called and said that Google traffic suggested it was an accident that backed things up from Riverside. So he told me to exit and just take the side streets to the 15 which I did. I drove through the cuts of Chino and felt a little sorry for the poor cows that stood around in mud and dirt all day. Why can't they have grass? Do they eat it all?

It was after 9AM by the time I got to picking them up. We stopped first at Juice It Up for some juice. And it was a long drive to Rancho Mirage. By the time we got there, it was so close to lunch we decided to just eat around the parking lot instead of eating at the course where food would probably be super expensive and there wouldn't be much choice. So we ate at Del Taco and decided it was so much better than Taco Bell.

Then we walked across the street to get to the parking lot instead of paying $5 for parking. We got on a bus to get to the golf course. When we arrived, a lot of the booths were giving stuff away so we just took our fair share of stuff.

Then we started walking around to watch some golf. It got hotter and hotter and we didn't really know most of the players we were watching. We decided to try to find Christina Kim and we were bummed that we didn't bring my brother's book about her so that she could sign it. Instead, Jared had her sign his t-shirt.

When we got tired of the event, we left and got a drink at Carl's Jr. We were dying of thirst and filled-up on the drinks. Then we headed back home. We stopped by the Hadley fruit store for a break and some shopping. We decided we should eat dinner on the way back and they mentioned an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant that their mom's friend Robin raved about.

It was Sayaka in Colton. We ordered all you can eat for all of us and we were pretty gung ho at first. But by the time we got to our second round, we couldn't eat anymore and we were all feeling pretty disgusted with ourselves. I almost up-chucked when I had a bite of the Las Vegas roll because it was deep fried and had cream cheese in it. It was so rich I nearly lost it.

Then I dropped the kids off and headed to Jansen's. We ended up in Hollywood to visit James and hung out there for a little bit. When I got home, I just took a shower and crashed, I felt so tired.

(written 3/31/11)

COMPUTER FOIBLES

Aunt Pat called me saying her computer could no longer connect to the Internet. I know how frustrating a messed-up connection can be, so I decided to head out to West Covina to help her out. Zita and Bill weren't there, so it was just me and Aunt Pat trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with the connection.

I did a few things like re-installing the Belkin usb adapter. I un-installed the older Linksys software and thought that would do it. But it didn't work. The signal strength was strong, but the connection was limited or not available. I couldn't figure it out, so I did what all smart men do - I asked for help.

We called Verizon to see what we needed to do. The fix was ridiculously easy. It turns out we had just entered the wrong password. Rather than denying us entry, it still tries to connect but just gives you no service. So after entering the correct password, everything was good.

The nice thing about helping Aunt Pat is that she is so grateful. We also had really good conversation, as we always do when I spend time with her. She really is that aunt that I never had and I am grateful to have her in my life.

When I returned home, I fixed dinner. The beef ribs didn't get cooked enough, so moms and I had to eat the ones that were thinner with less meat (which were cooked). After dinner, moms needed help with downloading some statements. She was so impatient while I was helping her, that I just reacted and was so angry and pissed off. I stormed out of the house and went to Lowes since I wanted to shop for some shower stuff. I'm not sure what got into me, but I felt bad about the whole thing and wanted to apologize.

When I got back home, moms came down and made it easy. She apologized to me and I guess she knew how hurt I was. I'm glad she did because it made me realize how well she actually knows me.

I got a message on Facebook from Janet. She said it's going to take some time before we can be friends again. I certainly miss her and will probably always wonder what could have been. I also wonder if she had another man in mind when we broke-up so I'll have to return to this question someday in the future, when we can actually be friends again.

MY POOR NIECE

My poor niece called me crying to tell me she got into a fight with her dad. It's really nothing new. It's a pattern and it seems to keep repeating. First it happened with my nephew, and now with my niece. It's sad, but all I can do is try to help them understand one another.

So I told her that instead of coming from a place of hate and anger, try to come from a place of love and understanding. It's always hard and it takes courage, but I told her that if she wants things to get better and not worse, she has to work on it. No one is perfect and we have to try to accept that those we love have faults as well as assets.

I hope things will get better. I told her she needs to focus on the present, not regret the past or worry about the future. I sure hope the advice I give helps and not hinders.

BATHROOM UPGRADE

I kind of dragged my feet going to Home Depot today. I hate doing chores and shopping for parts for the bathroom was a drag. It's no fun going by yourself. But after lunch, and some time wasting in the afternoon, I finally left.

First, I picked-up my suit that I purchased at Goodwill. It had a Goodwill smell and after I got it tailored and dry-cleaned, I think I ended up spending about $80. For that price, I could have purchased a new suit at Target! I need a light brown suit, so I'm not purchasing any more Goodwill suits unless they are brown. Or I might just buy the one at Target. hehe

Then I went to get my haircut at the Venus Beauty Salon in Pomona. It's only $8. I give the lady a $3 tip so it's an $11 cut. I always wonder if I'm being cheap by giving her only $3, but that's a 37.5% tip!

Then off to Home Depot. I found out that switching out the bathtub fixtures is no easy task. Apparently, if the brand isn't the same, you actually have to cut-out some holes and possibly put some new piping in. Our plumber Don told me that it would cost at least $300 to do the job. After realizing that, I decided to fuck buying new fixtures.

What I'll do is just replace the old fixtures with the same brand. It's not going to be as fancy as the other brands, but it will have to do. It's definitely better than the gold plated parts that moms went crazy with a few years ago. It's so damn tacky, but I'll soon change that.

So I'll go ahead with replacing the faucet and the bathroom doors, as well as the towel bars. It won't be much of a change, but it will definitely look different going from gold to something like a polished nickel.

Poker was better today. I actually had quick winning sessions in both limit and Rush so I was happy. It just feels like a waste of time having to work your way back up. But alas, that is poker.

WORST LOSS EVER

Funny how brutal poker is. Last night I won $10 on a few hands and felt like I was on my way to an easy ride toward breaking $500 on FTP. Then today happened. While playing, I went on a ridiculously bad run with players hitting two pair or trips against me. It was unbelievable how lucky my opponents were getting. It was as if I couldn't win with the best hand. Plus, draws I was on weren't coming in so before I knew it, I was down $30. I had to re-buy on both tables and I lost half of each re-buy. Going broke on two tables and half a re-buy for each meant $15 per table for a total of $30.

The worst loss ever both for limit and no-limit poker online. I wasn't sure what it meant. Was I over-confident and playing too loose? It's always hard to answer the tough questions. I remember when I went on a seemingly never-ending losing streak when I just could not win. I thought I was a terrible player, prone to tilt and just playing badly. But I realized that sometimes it's just bad luck and no matter how well you play, Lady Luck has it in for you.

After the loss, I walked down to the supermarket to purchase some vitamins and tofu that moms needed. I ended-up purchasing vitamins for old men, but when I looked at the list of vitamins, there were more vitamins than the regular one. I figured a little more vitamins and minerals aren't going to kill me and since it was 2-for-1, I felt like I was getting a damn good deal.

I think the walk helped my back too. Maybe moving around instead of just sitting around helps lubricate the joints or initiates blood flow to my lower back. Maybe it's just time too, but when I got back, I definitely felt better.

After dinner, I was pumped to get revenge on FTP. I ended up with a small win which made me feel pretty good. Unfortunately, it's going to take a lot more of these to get back to where I was just last night. I hate that.

UPDATE - The last hand I played getting ready to quit was a pair of aces. I lost that hand and that led to another hour of play that ended-up with a loss. I fuckin' hate poker.

BACK STILL ACHES

I woke up with my back still kinda aching, but it wasn't as bad as yesterday. But as soon as I made my way downstairs, I could tell it was still in bad shape.

After lunch, I made my usual tv rounds. Right now it's Sealab 2021, The Shield, Entourage and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I watched a few NCAA Elite Eight games and when I would get up, I noticed my back felt nearly as bad as it did yesterday. I know the pain will simply go away eventually, but I hate the fact that my P90x schedule has gone to hell again. Coincidentally, this was pretty much the same exact point I reached the last time I tried to do the workout. I got sick, I stopped working out, then when I did get back into it, I felt out of shape. I won't start over again this time, but I'll have to take it easy when I start back up again.

I also wrote Janet back finally. Although things didn't work out between us, I still am very hopeful that we can be friends. It might be difficult, but maybe time will allow us to be good ones.

MY ACHIN' BACK

This morning, I did some juicing. Everything went fine, but around the middle of it all, I noticed my back was killin' me. It's the same spot where a few years ago, I heard a crunchy, crispy sound, kind of like thin bone getting smashed together and pulverized. If you were looking at my back, it would be right around the right side of where an ass dimple would be. It's not right on the spine, but just to the right of it, near the butt.

It's not muscle, it's deep in there somewhere. I can't massage it, I can't do any twists or turns to get at it. I just have to rest it. But each time I tried to get into a resting position, I would feel it and it would hurt and ache. I felt like an old man walking around. Actually, the upright position wasn't bad as long as stayed up right and kept my abs flexed. I wondered if it had anything to do with all the standing I did during Wonder Woman. I'm an old man.

So I watched tv all day. I wanted to play some poker, but I didn't because I'd already reached my goal on PS. FTP has offered me a bonus to play, so that's where I'll take them up on their offer. I just couldn't figure out if I should wait until next week or take them up now. I suppose there's not much reason to wait.

I FINALLY BREAK THE $100 BARRIER

I got on PS just trying to get a simple win on my way to breaking the $100 mark. But a few big hands ended up putting me over the edge and now I have accomplished something I've been working on for over a year now. It probably took much longer than it should have, but my perseverance finally paid-off - not exactly financially, but just for setting a goal and meeting it. Now if I can only translate that to more important, real-life activities . . .

Anyway, the next step is to break the $500 barrier on FTP and I'm certain I should be able to accomplish that by the end of this year.

JUST A RESTFUL DAY

I don't know why I get so tired working background, but I guess standing around and waiting to do some scenes gets you tired. I'd rather be walking, but sometimes you stand there waiting and waiting for the next shot. It seemed like the PAs last night didn't really have a lot of experience, but who knows? Maybe they just don't have the support of their bosses.

So after lunch today, I just took a really long nap that took me nearly to dinner. Before the nap, I went ahead and booked the tub re-glaze for next Friday. Then after dinner, just watched a bunch of college ball and sit-coms.

WONDER WOMAN #2

My call time was pretty late today, 1PM, so I had time to do the 2nd half of the strength portion of the P90x yoga workout. I haven't worked out hard for what seems like a long time, so it was nice to sweat again and feel like I was doing some work.

Then I cooked a steak, ate it, took a shower and headed off to Irvine again. The day dragged-on once again, doing basically the same things we did yesterday. However, thankfully, we got a change of pace since we shot in different parts of the office building. Also, I finally got a chance to see what Wonder Woman actually looked like in her costume.

Our crafty was a little better today and dinner was pretty good. It rained though, so we were all wet and cold. But after a few more shots of the huge, cavernous room, we were wrapped.

I needed gas so I found a gas station in Santa Ana that I thought would be cheaper than in DB. It wasn't, and it was like 10 cents more per gallon. I got home pretty late, past 1AM so it was just a little tv before I crashed.

(written 3/24/11)

WONDER WOMAN

I finally got a call last night (early morning) about 1AM letting me know that the call-in number was finally updated to include the location of where Wonder Woman would be shooting. It was near the Irvine Spectrum inside some empty offices that were probably used by some corporation at some time. They were really nice offices and I wondered what company used them.

The drive to Irvine surprised me. I thought it would take a lot longer to get there, but it only took an hour. That made me realize that jobs out here in Orange County wouldn't be such a bad commute. I'll have to look into that.

When I got to holding, a lot of people looked like they'd been there before. The PA was surprised that it was my first time. Apparently, they've been shooting since last Friday at the location. So I was thankful that I was one of the lucky SAG folks that were chosen to work on the pilot. Someone said that the production would probably be moved to Canada so I was a little disappointed since it would sure be nice to be a regular on the show.

We spent the day working inside a huge, square, cavernous, cubicle-filled room walking around or stationed inside a cube. I chose to be stationed but moved around once and awhile. Like one of the drones said, it's boring and cold and that's what it was. Craft services consisted of boxes of bananas, oranges and apples with some coffee and hot water stations. All the extras complained and even the SAG rep who was visiting apparently said it was "unacceptable" even for non-union.

I spent most of the afternoon napping and the rest of it working. After we wrapped, I hit up JD and stopped by his pad to kick-it. There, I got rid of his McAfee anti-virus program and re-installed Nod32 to speed it up. We also tried to jailbreak his phone, but since it had 4.3 on it, we couldn't. It felt like a long drive on the way back which seemed weird to me since the drive there didn't seem so bad.

(written 3/24/11)

BABY WORKOUT

I got up to watch all the cool shows I've downloaded. I gotta say, comedies and good dramas really make me happy. I consume way more than I create which is probably not so good, but what can I say, viewing tv is one of my personal pleasures in life. Why do I love it so?

The steak I cooked for lunch stuck to the pan I cooked it in. I think that one of the two pro-style skillets I have is much better seasoned and is less prone to stick. I'm not sure if this is for sure but it seems that way. I felt the same way with them when I tried frying some chicken wings, but I need to confirm just one more time before I'm sure of it.

After purchasing a $10 Mega Millions quick pick (come on universe, make me a millionaire!), I bought some carrots, apples, ginger and celery from Ralphs to make my morning juice. I didn't want to have to drive all the way to the Korean store so I figured I'd try out the non-organic stuff at Ralphs. Hell, I don't even know if the stuff at the Korean store really is organic, it's just labeled as such. I'll have to ask them to see if it's for real.

I did 1/3 of the P90x Yoga and felt pretty weak doing the routine. Interestingly, I noticed that my sinuses kind of cleared-up while doing the yoga. Initially, I thought I would have difficulty breathing and I did. It's tough to breath right when your nose is clogged-up. But after some time, it cleared-up and I noticed the mucus was pretty much gone. It helped with the breathing, but because there was no longer a mucus barrier, the back of the roof of my mouth (also known as the soft palate) or the top side of the soft palate was really irritated. That's where the virus probably landed when I breathed it in. It felt dry and scratchy, but not nearly as bad as last week.

When moms got home, we picked-up and had dinner with my dad's first cousin. I wish I knew where he stood on the family tree, but unfortunately, I didn't have the tree nor did I have access to the Internet to show him. I really didn't want to go, but I figured it wasn't such a bad idea to get out of the house and meet some people I hadn't seen for such a long time. I remember visiting them when we took a family trip out there to Toronto. They're very nice, but I just wish they had more stories to tell me about my dad.

When we got back, I noticed several messages on my phone. I got some messages from Joey's List, my calling service, and even a phone call. I wasn't sure if I was booked or not because the online system showed me as being both booked and not booked. Oddly, Central Casting's message on the line didn't list where the hell Wonder Woman was being shot. So I had to call the emergency line and let them know. I wonder if I'll be booked? It sure would be nice to get a regular gig on both this show and LOLA.

HIVES

As I've said, every time I have a temperature, I get a rash. I thought I wasn't going to get one this time, but I did. It's on all the spots I usually get it. I suspect it's where I basically sweat or where my body is really hot during the fever. It's on the sides of my upper torso, around the crotch, insides of my arms and the back and side of my neck.

I spent the day playing poker, trying to get over the $100 mark on PS. It's funny (looking back) how when you are so close to reaching a milestone, it gets almost harder. My uncle once said that the closer you bring a dead body to its final resting place, the heavier it gets. It's kind of like that.

Sinigang was had for lunch and dinner. I was gonna have dinner at Zita's, but I just feel too sick to go. I love having dinner over there, but with this gnarly rash, I'd rather not risk anyone catching what I had.

I just rested pretty much the rest of the day. I watched the Laker game and finally broke a 3-bet losing streak just barely. The Lakers were the final bet in the 3-game teaser bet that has become the only bet I've made lately. All they needed to do was win and they had to come back in the 4th quarter to do it. Whew! Damn Lakers!

Before going to bed, I began downloading some shows like the 2nd seasons of "The Shield" and "Sealab 2021" as well as the first season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

(written 3/21/11)

TOSSIN AND TURNIN

I thought I had gotten rid of this flu, but last night's sleep was pretty miserable. Anytime my nose is clogged, I have trouble sleeping because I just can't breath. I mean, I can breath, but I'll have to breath through my mouth which then gets dry as hell and I wake up and my throat is dry as fuck. I hate it. Plus, I started getting more hives/rashes on my body which always happens whenever I get a temperature. Either that or I'm allergic to Tylenol which is what I take to control my temperature. I'll have to remember to take Tylenol for some pain someday and see if I react to it.

We watched UCLA lose their game in the NCAA tourney. It was a good one and they kept up with the team until the very end when two 3-pointers pulled them away. Oh well, that's the Pac-10 for ya.

Rachelle left after lunch and Jared came over. Kimi dropped him off so I was able to see her and Karina for a little while. In the afternoon, I felt incredibly sleepy and that's also when I started to feel this stupid fever come back. It's like it's always there but kind of just hides for awhile, and when you think it's already left, it comes back. So when I woke up, I felt like shit. I didn't want to take any more Tylenol since I didn't feel like my temperature was all that crazy.

Later, Marissa came over and we all had dinner together. Then his friends picked them up and moms and I watched Another Year.

(written 3/20/11)

OFF TO SHOP

We spent an inordinate amount of time discussing her possible shopping addiction. In many ways, her drive and passion for shopping seems to exhibit all the symptoms addicts have with certain drugs. So that leads to the obvious question, is she addicted to shopping? I'm not sure if we got anywhere, but it really made me wonder if I was an enabler since I accompanying her to shop.

After lunch at Gyu-kaku at the Victoria Mills mall, we headed to Ikea so I could purchase a futon mattress. Rachelle then had her heart set-on a most comfortable chair, but she didn't see any room for it in her apartment. Oddly, furniture space seems to stop her from buying, but even though she doesn't have space for clothing or hand bags, that doesn't stop her at all. In the end, I didn't buy a futon mattress but bought a bunch of other shit that I thought could be useful.

When we got back, we decided to go out and visit Jansen. As he was coming out, he didn't realize we were there. So we spent some time playing with Jude, but decided we didn't want to go to Hollywood with him. Instead, Rache and I headed down to Santa Ana.

There, we went to a nightclub that was pretty much Chinatown. But the drinks were cheap and they were big and strong. After two of them, we went back home.

(written 3/20/11)

RACHELLE VISITS THE I.E.

My cuz came through out this way since she had to return some stuff at the Coach outlet. We didn't really feel like shopping today, so instead, we strolled to the library so I could return the last book of the Scott Pilgrim manga series.

I think I caught the flu because I'm feeling tired and I have a temperature and the back part of the roof of my mouth hurts terribly. It's that point in time where my mucus membranes haven't fired and it's just so raw and irritated. Eventually, the mucus will come and start a barrier that will provide relief.

When we walked back, we stopped by the boba store for some boba. My poor cuz never gets the idea of fitness as it isn't a part of her life. When I think of exercise, I try not to defeat the purpose by consuming more calories than I burned. But since she rarely comes out to visit and because I feel ill, I figured once in a while isn't such a big deal.

We didn't do much when we got back except watch some NCAA games.

(written 3/20/11)

IT'S OVER

I didn't get very good sleep and I woke up tired and feeling sick. I was hoping I'd feel well enough to do some cardio, but I didn't want to push it. I always wonder how professional athletes still play through sickness, but I guess that's what you have to do when you're getting paid the big bucks.

I spent the day just resting and watching tv and napping. I felt hungry and tired throughout the day and wondered if that was the illness or just not eating enough for lunch. Then I called Janet.

I knew it would be a difficult conversation, but I was hoping that the rest and sleep would allow us to just sweep things aside for the moment. But alas, Janet had the strength to let me go today because she just didn't think it would work out between us. I didn't want to fight anymore. I let her go even though I wanted to keep holding on. In the end, I want her to be happy and I wasn't doing that for her.

Sometimes I wonder if I hold on to things too long because I'm so stubborn. I always have hope to change things for the better, even though they're sometimes not so good for me. Poker is an example of that. I've spent so much time trying to beat the game, I wonder what it's all for. Then again, what is anything in life? Do we not go through our lives enjoying essentially meaningless things just to live this life in bliss?

LOLA #19

I'm definitely ill because I spent holding in the cold and when I woke-up, I felt sick. While walking to stage, I asked Chris if he was getting over a cold or something since I'm pretty certain he's the one that got me sick. He said he had gotten a flu shot a few weeks back and might have developed bronchitis later.

The only cool thing to mention was being in the conference room with Terrance Howard and listening to him tell us he first started out as an extra and did it for two years. He knew all about overtime and knew we would be getting some serious amount. He said, "I don't get overtime - but I do get a very generous salary."

I spent the day mulling over the argument I had with Janet last night. I had to cut-off the conversation because it was getting late and I wasn't really looking forward to talking about it when I got wrapped. I honestly wondered if I just wasn't into her when I would look at all the hot chicks around me in holding. I'd never hooked up with hotties like that, but I kind of felt like Greenberg when he said he didn't know who he wanted to date, just that he wanted to date.

Although I didn't want to argue, we ended-up arguing on the phone. It was the same shit and looking back on it, I wonder if I did it just to get her to be sick of me. Was I not into her? Was I not ready for a relationship? Or am I just not very good at it and just need practice? We discussed trust issues and recreation and secrecy and things of that nature. It was frustrating and I let her go because I knew she had to work and I had to get to bed.

I didn't feel good and knew I would be ill. I was confused and hoped a good rest would help me clear my head.

(written 3/16/11)

LOLA #18

I'd begun to worry that I wouldn't be getting any work, but thankfully, I got booked for today. The call-time was 5AM and since daylight savings started last night, I actually had to get up at 3:30AM real time!

It was the usual kind of deal working inside the DA's office. I hung out with Chris Chen and as he coughed, I worried I'd get sick. When I got home, I began to feel a tickle in my throat and wondered if I was indeed sick.

(written 3/16/11)

CORONA FAMS PAY A VISIT

I headed back to Diamond Bar close to lunch. Jared and moms had already eaten so I had lunch by myself.

Later, my brother came over with his girlfriend and the girls. I took the kids to Super-H for some meat to bbq and I spent the entire afternoon grilling. The thing I learned was that if you use natural lump charcoal, you have to use a lot of it and keep piling it on to keep it lit. After that experience, I realized it's much easier to use a combination of briquettes and lump to keep a near consistent heat and it will likely last longer too.

Marissa came by for dinner and we all had a nice time sitting around the dinner table. I don't know why but I was really happy about having everyone eat the food I had grilled. It's just so satisfying.

Right before everyone left, the downstairs bathroom over-flowed because Karina had used too much toilet paper and stuffed some shit down there (as well as taken a dump). I had to mop the mess up and clean it as well as un-stuff the toilet which I personally feel I am an expert at doing now.

(written 3/16/11)

REDONDO DRINKING

Janet and I were supposed to play tennis but we were too lazy and tired from last night. So we lounged and napped and then it was time to go to Redondo Beach.

We went to her friend Judy's place where her sister Jen, her sister's boyfriend Hiroshi and Judy's friend Adrienne were there. Later, another of Judy's friend's Lauren and her man Dave came through.

Janet had mentioned these guys drink - a lot! And she was right. Although a ton of appetizers came out to the table, it was immediately followed by strong drinks and mean shots. It was shot after shot and before I knew it, I had eaten a dinner's worth of apps. But I'd drunk much more than that and we were all pretty trashed by the time we walked over to the Mexican restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, we headed back to the apartment for even more drinks. I sobered-up a bit then took us home late into the early morning. Janet was really pissed-off about my visit to the bathroom, but we kind of worked it out.

(written 3/16/11)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHELLE!

I did my P90x workout in the morning without breakfast. It wasn't tough at all and I was glad my fitness level is still pretty high.

First I went to Brea to pick-up a suit I had gotten tailored months ago. I could have sworn it was brown, but it wasn't. It was actually a dark gray. Oh well. I forgot to bring some pants that is missing a jacket to see if I can purchase one that would match it.

Then I had lunch with Jansen at a Pho place. We also went to Walmart to see what the line was like for the iPad 2. There was no line so he said he'd go later to wait in line for one.

Then it was off to Culver City to pick-up Janet. We hung out at her pad for awhile then drove through traffic to Pasadena. There we met-up with Binggoy and Karing. We waited for Rachelle and then had dinner at Kaga Kaga.

Then it was off to Gyu-kaku for happy hour and more drinking. There we met some of Binggoy's friends, Beejay and Eleanor and Maricel, one of Rachelle's friends. Lots of drinking went on tonight but it was a good time and we got back safely.

(written 3/16/11)

FIRST DAY OF SCANNING

I got up early to start my scanning project, but I dilly dallied and before I knew it, it was time to eat lunch. All I got to do was relocate my router, modem and network drive to give me more space on the desk. I realized I'm going to have to move one of the power strips because the power chords on the three items are too far away from the plug now.

Cal played USC in the quarter finals of the Pac-10 tournament and I watched the entire game that started at noon. They lost. It wasn't really close. They were winning by a good margin during the first ten minutes of the game, but I guess USC is just a better team and they pulled away pretty easily in the second half.

I'm not sure what happened in the afternoon, but I wanted to get my yoga on and while I did that, I also had to get dinner ready. Before I knew it, I didn't have enough time to do yoga and I just ended-up working on dinner. I just browned some ground meat that ended-up tasting over-cooked since I simmered the shit out of it in some Prego pretty much all day. I added a sausage and browned that too. I love de-glazing pans so I did that with both meats and added that to the sauce. Two pounds of ground beef is too much for one jar of tomato sauce. Next time, I'd just use one pound of beef since I like to taste sauce and not just meat. I even opted to add a can of tomato sauce so the sauce wouldn't be so thick.

I also made an apple tart with a tortilla and some apples. I learned that from Jacques Pépin's More Fast Food My Way. He used pears, but the idea is similar. Slice 'em up, add some sugar and butter, and cook it until crisp. Simple.

After dinner I began my scanning project. I'm going from left to right around the room and scanning anything I can get my hands on. If it's not scan-able, I put it on a stack so I can decide what to do with it later. Scanning feels like work because after I was done scanning a bunch of call sheets from a movie I worked on as a production assistant, my back felt the way it does after working in an office.

The cool thing was that I was re-connected with Lynda Barry. When I was working on Confession, all the PAs were hanging around waiting for instruction. I asked this white girl what she was reading and she handed me her book of short stories. One section was by Lynda Barry, the only section in the book that was a cartoon. In it, she describes her Uncle Vinnie, a Filipino guy who she adored. It was hilarious because I'd never really seen a cartoon about a Filipino guy. I wish I knew that PAs name so I could thank her. Lynda Barry has given me so much happiness when I borrowed her books from the library.

Anyway, here is the first strip I'd ever seen from Barry.

FUTON REBORN

Man, I've had this futon for a really long time. I purchased it at some futon shop in San Francisco when I first moved there in 1996. It's followed me around, moving to each place I've lived, from the City, to San Bruno, back to the City and then back south to South San Francisco.

Then it came down to Diamond Bar and sat around for awhile. My nephew needed a couch or some place to sleep, so it was lent to him in Hollywood. He moved and it also moved to Palms, but when he married and moved to Brea, it came back to Diamond Bar. It again sat around in the living room until moms told me to get it inside the computer room where it always had a home.

I finally assembled that thing today. It was a hot afternoon, and anytime it's hot, it gets a little more frustrating doing things because not only do you have to do what you're doing, you're also sweating like a mother fucker. I had to clean it, transport it upstairs, assemble it, then position it. It wasn't hard, it just took time and sweat.

Afterward, I was in no mood to workout, but a schedule is a schedule and it was time for core synergistics. I felt tired, but once the workout started, it felt good. I sweated some more and by the time it was over, I was feeling out of it, like I needed to eat something.

So I got dinner ready and ate like a pig. I usually have a pretty good appetite after a workout, but then I realize a little too late that I ate too fast and too much.

The next step in my project is to start cleaning out all the boxes from the room and start trashing stuff. I just hope I don't start regretting the trashing which will only compound my general hesitation of dumping things.

GETTING THE COMPUTER ROOM IN ORDER

I finally started working on reorganizing the computer room. I'm trying to put a futon in there but I have to clear out half of the entire room. I'm not sure where I'm going to put everything, but I guess it's a chance to start throwing shit out.

After steak for lunch, I started working on the room. Well, that and more downloading, uploading and various computer stuff. I think I will try testing the network drive to see if it's the drive or if it's my uTorrent that is causing issues.

I got sleepy in the afternoon, probably because of all that protein. So I napped. And I napped. And I napped! It was weird because I just could not get up. When I finally did, my nieces and I called Ethan to wish him a happy birthday. He's such a sweet kid.

Then it was time to work on the room a little more. I decided to move the file cabinets to the other side of the room and let that be phase 1. Phase 2 will involve throwing a lot of shit away since there is really no room for any of the boxes.

After dinner, I watched Secret Millionaire on ABC which always makes me want to cry. Then a little bit of poker and finally a little Metro planning for Friday night. Janet and I decided we would just drive instead of riding public transportation because it just takes too damn long.

HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

Janet asked me what my day was like and I started to wonder what the hell I do. During the day, I can't say I do much. Here's how my day goes, generally speaking.

I wake up. I walk downstairs. I turn on the TV. I watch an hour of The Shield. I eat lunch. I may watch some tv that I recorded. I go upstairs. I get on the computer to check email or general computer stuff like downloading, uploading or Facebooking. I play some online poker. While I'm playing I like to watch Sealab 2021. I have an afternoon snack. I have some phone conversations with friends. I start thinking about or actually work out. I get ready for dinner by putting plates out or heating food. I eat dinner. I watch more TV. I get back on the computer. I take a shower. I get ready for bed. I read a book. I fall asleep.

Now that I think about it, I don't think I do much that's different from people even if they have a job. Just replace most of the things I do in the morning and afternoon and replace it with work. That's really the biggest different. Other than that, we're all pretty much human beings doing what human beings do. Then again, I suppose greater things are done by great people so I wonder what their day is like?

After walking to Green Hills for some cucumber and papaya for dinner, I put the trash out and threw out the garbage in the bathrooms. After dinner, I set-up a Facebook event for Rachelle this Friday. I hope she brings her friend because I'm really curious to meet him. Is he like how she describes him? Is he different? We'll see if he goes.

No matter how much I've played poker and how many hands I've played, I still get really pissed-off when I take a bad beat. It's weird. I don't get as emotional when it's live poker, but in the comfort of my home, I can rage just because no one is watching. I've learned enough about myself to quit when I'm tilting though, so I guess that's a good thing.

GOLF AT LOS SERRANOS

It was hard getting up since I didn't really get very good sleep. Thankfully, Janet cooked me breakfast so I had some fuel for golf with Binggoy and his friends Jovis and Kenny at Los Serranos in Chino Hills.

We played the North course which is shorter than the South course. But it didn't seem like the course was very well manicured, so when you were in the rough, it was pretty tough getting out. I came into the course wanting to play well and come out on top, but after a quadruple on the first hole, I realized that not playing golf for a long time makes it tough to play competitively. That and the few beers and rum and coke I had during play.

I ended up shooting a 96 which is somewhat embarrassing for me because I'm used to shooting in the 80s. But it was fun playing with the guys and letting go of the need to play my best is somewhat liberating. Besides, I still shot one stroke better than Kenny so I still ended-up fulfilling my goal and having fun at the same time. That's what it's all about.

ETHIOPIAN FOOD

Before heading out to Janet's, I went to BevMo for some Moscato wine and WalMart for some golf gloves and balls. I bought three gloves for $15 and 18 balls for $18. I wish I had just bought the 15 ball pack instead since the extra sleeve of balls didn't save me any money.

Then I picked Janet up and she took me to Rosalind's for some Ethiopian food. We ordered some appetizers and the vegetarian meal. It was good and I think a little better than Messob, the place I took my nieces and their friend.

We weren't sure what to do after, but since we were in a sort of wine and food coma, we just headed back to her place. We had more wine and some dessert like cookies and sweet potato pie.

Then we did a little tarot using her feminist tarot deck and it was really interesting. I picked the Death card and she picked the Fool card and what is fun about the cards is that you can analyze your own life and think about it in a different way. I can see how people can get into this stuff.

We had a few options for the evening like playing tennis and going to my friend's apartment get together, but we just decided to stay-in for the night. We started watching UP! but fell asleep as the night wore on.

PREGGO . . . AGAIN!

Once again, I spent some time in front of the computer. I've been trying to resolve the sketchy Internet connection with the damned WD network drive. Support finally got back to me and said I should switch the network mode from DHCP to static. Unfortunately, there are a few things you need to fill-out when you switch to static, and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing.

In the afternoon I went for a bike ride to Super-H. I wanted to buy some carrots and celery for my juicer. I haven't juiced for awhile, maybe a week, so I figured it was about time. Maybe it's mental, but there's something I really like about drinking juice in the morning.

On the ride back, my friend called me and said she was headed to the Filipino market Green Hills. I was close so I told her I'd meet her there. It turned out she's pregnant . . . again! I was wondering why she hadn't lost any weight since she gave birth, and there you have it. It's pretty amazing, but I suppose it's God's will. What I like about her so much is that she doesn't really freak out or anything, she just goes about her business and deals with it.

I didn't do much at night but play a little online poker. I'm not sure I mentioned this, but it seems weird to me that so many people around me are breaking up with people. My friend up north had a friend break-up, my niece had a boyfriend break-up and my cousin had a dating break-up. I too nearly had a break-up, but somehow I was able to convince my other to continue. Otherwise, it'd be like four different people breaking up. What's weird is that I've been thinking about and listening to Esther Hicks who is all about the law of attraction. Are my thoughts somehow related to all this?

LOTS OF TIME IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER

All afternoon was spent in front of a monitor, looking at a screen or some kind of device, working on something that really doesn't mean much in the giant scheme of things. I spent a bunch of time today downloading things from the Internet and although it doesn't really mean much, I suppose I'm happy just doing it. What else must we have in life other than happiness for ourselves and others?

I had Sealab 2021, an old show from the same guys who do Archer, one of my favorite shows on television right now. The humor is similar, full of wit and funny banter. But I couldn't get it to play on my PS3, so I spent some time on the Internet finding out what other people do. In the end, none of their solutions worked. Copying the files onto the PS3 didn't work. Neither did sharing the media using Windows Media Player file sharing capabilities. So then I decided to convert the files so that the PS3 would be able to play them. But the problem was that a ten minute program would take an hour to convert. So I gave up and decided I would just watch them on the PC.

I also mopped the hardwood floor because I like walking around barefoot and I had this sense that the floor was not feeling really good under my feet. It felt dirty and I guess it probably was, although it wasn't filthy.

I also got a hold of Beejay finally. He's been dodging my calls because I know he doesn't want to send me his hand history for an online tournament we had last year. I couldn't convince him and he knows he doesn't have to help me, so why should he? It just disappoints me that people can be like that. As much as I try being a good person with him, I guess it really doesn't matter what I do or don't do if it doesn't benefit him some way.

MISC DUTIES

I spent some time last night trying to transfer the information from my Shell Saver card to my new bank. It was a little frustrating because Shell couldn't help me since they said the verifying company placed a hold on my card. When I called them (apparently they are TeleChek), they could not do anything because my new bank information was not showing up on their system. So I just had Shell cancel my old card and I applied for a new one.

After I ate lunch, I filled out some EDD paperwork and transferred some money into my Fidelity Roth IRA account. I figured with the tax return I received, it's probably a good idea to start saving for my retirement. It's weird thinking about something that will happen 25 years from now, but like they say, it's never too early.

I've been having issues with the WD My Book Live network drive. It's doing something to the Netgear router and causing some devices to disconnect. It's a pain, so I called my brother Paul up after some P90x yoga and dinner. It was nice to be able to complete the yoga without much fuss but that's probably because I've had three days of rest.

My brother says I should Google the issue to see if I can find other people with the same problem. I'll do that after I receive a reply from WD about the issue.

Then I spent a lot of time downloading stuff from the Internet.

LOLA #17

I tried to get up to do yoga before leaving for LOLA, but I just could not do it. I guess when you have it in your mind that you aren't able to do something, you aren't going to do it. So I didn't.

Instead, I worked on LOLA and no one was really there out of all the regulars. It's kind of a drag, but I don't mind too much since it allows me to catch-up on my reading.

We were wrapped pretty quickly relatively speaking and I was out in about seven hours. I headed over to Janet's to see what she wanted to do with our situation. I wanted to see her in person, but I didn't want to put any pressure on her. So I called her in front of her apartment and spoke to her while I was in my car.

I kind of laid my feelings out on the line and just accepted what she wanted to do with them. When I got the feeling that she wasn't exactly sure what we should do and that she might be open to continuing our friendship, I decided that was the time to let her know I was at her apartment. She seemed surprised but she told me that she actually had a phobia when it came to surprise visits. I told her nothing bad happened so maybe she needs to work on de-sensitizing that particular phobia.

Then I headed over to Rachelle's to cheer the poor girl up. We did a little drinking, hanging out, snacking and watching Clash of the Titans. She fell asleep and so did I and when we woke up, it was time for lunch. We ate at The Counter where you can make your own burgers. It's high-priced, but it was solid and really good.

Then I stopped by my very first dispensary. It was really small, but it was cool and I had to wonder how hard it was to operate something like that.

When I got back home, I ate and wondered if I felt like doing yoga so late at night. Well, I didn't really wonder. I simply didn't want to.