BREA CREEK

I woke up at Jansen's and Jansen had breakfast or I guess brunch ready for eating. It was bacon, sausage links, eggs and rice. It was awesome. We grubbed and rested a little, but Jansen had some things to do before we went out for some golf.

So I went home and showered, did some gmail and got ready for golf. When I got back to Jansen's, he hadn't done shit. So our first stop was the Brea Community Center to drop off a payment for Ate Beng's 50th birthday party. It's a surprise and it should be a fun one.

Then we went to the course and had some trouble with them since they were trying to charge us $12 per person when we got a deal online through click4teetimes for just $12 total. We finally worked it out with him and he gave it to us for $6, but not without some effort.

It was difficult to take pictures and play golf at the same time because we were kind of lit. My camera batteries died and then I had to start taking pictures with Jansen's phone. The greens were fast and it was not an easy course, so I probably averaged double boogie on every hole except the first one which I birdied. I had difficulty keeping score too so I'm not even certain that my scorecard was correct. That just means I won't be putting this up on Golfshot.

Then we went to Fullerton and had some $0.50 tacos at a place we used to go to all the time at night. It's roomier, it doesn't smell like bathroom much anymore and it felt much nicer. We ate a bunch and had some $2 Coronas too. When we got back to Jansen's, I was so sleepy, I actually slept until about 10PM. By then, Tyler had called and it was time to pick-up some yay.

We finally hooked up with Tyler about 30 minutes later and then we went back to Jansen's to play some Zynga poker for a few hours.

(written 2/1/12)

OFF TO VEGAS BABY

After lunch, I got to packing and getting ready for Vegas, baby, Vegas. I figured I would leave a little later so I wouldn't have to deal with Vegas traffic, but when I left, there was already LA traffic.

I made a stop at a rest stop about two hours away from Vegas and it was just right. It was pretty smooth sailing the rest of the way. For some reason, it didn't feel like a very long drive but that probably has something to do with my party favors.

I got to Rich's new place and Rich was home taking care of Sunny. She is so big now! Rachael and her sister Rhea came home later after doing some shopping.

Then it was party time. Ariel also came by at some point but he had to leave. Rich got us hooked up on Jerome's guest list at RPM at the Tropicana. The crowd was ok but the music was pretty cool. It was kind of like a high class rave minus the hot chicks.

I was cool with that since I wanted to ramp up for Saturday which would be the bigger night. We got faded from all the free drink tickets Jerome hooked us up with. We got home pretty buzzed and the bedroom I got to crash in was nice and cozy.

(written 2/2/12)

LONG, WASTEFUL NAP

After lunch, I wanted to start doing laundry and get prepared for the Vegas trip. Instead, I took a long nap in the afternoon that helped keep me up pretty late.

I made some rice, washed some dishes and got ready for dinner. After dinner, I did some laundry but it was just undies and delicates. I really wanted to wash all my dress shirts, but I didn't really get my motivation going enough for that.

Then I went upstairs to watch J. Edgar Hoover. It was eh. I wasn't impressed with the make-up and Leonardo didn't blow me away or anything, unlike watching Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

I wanted to watch Beginners, but was too tired so instead I played some COD.

(written 1/27/12)

NEW GIRL

Who's that girl? Who's that girl? It's Jess! I enjoy watching this show even though Zooey plays the same kind of chick in nearly every movie and tv show she works on. But you have to hand it to her. She knows her type and she makes a shitload playing it. I hear that's one of the keys of the profession. You have to know your type and be good at it.

The call time was pushed back another hour to 1PM which was great for me since it allowed me to eat lunch and not have to hurry. After staying up late last night, I was not in the mood to get up early and be sleepy all day.

I drove to Fox and went to stage 18 where everyone just got in line for wardrobe. The sun was out and it was hot so I waited in the shade with two other dudes. One guy was named Justin who boxed to stay in shape and was from West Virginia. He was a young buck, and was slowly learning the ways of making it in Hollywood. His story was interesting because he literally got in a car one day and drove to Hollywood to become an actor. He also literally walked up to a lady and asked her where he could audition. It's funny because he was lucky and she was actually a kind of manager/agent and she helped him land a few things.

His story goes further, but it just amazes me how many people from all over the country are willing to head out here in search of their dream. As Justin said, ignorance truly is bliss.

We were transported to Beverly Hills to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. The first scene was an upscale one where we all wore suits. The second scene was more trendy where hotter chicks arrived, but the scene was still a dinner scene.

After about an hour of overtime, we were wrapped and we all got out of there as fast as we could while the trendy newcomers had to stay since they came later.

(written 1/27/12)

LAB RATS

It's the first time I worked on this show and the first time working at Hollywood Center Studios. Parking was tough to find and I had to park about four blocks away to get to set. I was still late though but the 2nd AD was at the stage when I was trying to check-in. He walked me to holding and then there was enough time for breakfast since our scenes were going to be shot last, but rehearsed first, just like most sit-coms.

I was cast as a teacher but then we were all switched to parents for a parent-teacher conference day. Since everyone in the room was union, they all shared and talked about their experiences working as actors. I sat next to someone who used to be a casting director at Central, so it was fun hearing all her experiences and how Joey's List first began.

Apparently, Joey used to be an assistant at Central and he would take the names and numbers of the hottest chicks that were signing-up that day. So anytime someone needed hot girls to book, they would go to Joey and he would have his list. It was as simple as that.

We also talked about the SAG-AFTRA United unification and how it would play out. Apparently, it's now $3000 and the three voucher rule to join will still be in effect.

I tried to sleep but couldn't ever get comfortable, but we finally got called to set to work. They shot our scene and once we finished it, we were wrapped. When I got to my car, I noticed that I probably should have received a ticket since the sign on the street that I saw was restricted. Maybe I got lucky or maybe the other sign further down the street that was different and did not restrict parking was the one to use. I don't know, but I was sure glad I didn't have to pay another ticket.

When I got back home, Jared was still down to go out. So I met him half-way at Green River, then we rolled out to FOCus at Tapas restaurant in Newport Beach. It was a fun night and Jared had a good time trying to talk to the ladies. He's got some work to do and it was cool hanging out with him and Jansen all night. I'm just glad my call time was pushed to noon tomorrow.

(written 1/27/12)

KIDS COME OVER WITH KIMI

Since the girls had some doctor appointments to go to, they came over to hang out a bit while Jared and Kimi ate dinner at Tess'. So Karina and I went to the grocery store to purchase some fake crab and cucumbers.

I sliced them real thin and then we feasted on do-it-yourself California rolls. I also made some potstickers to round-out the meal.

Jared and Adam came through for a little while, but then they all left to go back home.

(written 1/27/12)

BIRTHDAY AT ZITA'S

I felt a little hungover from last night, but not as bad as it could have been. I think if I had drank one or two more drinks last night, it could have been much worse.

Jared was here since I picked him up after driving home last night. For lunch, we had the leftover ribs.

Then we chilled in the afternoon and Jared picked Marissa up. We all left for Zita's and got there around 4PM after watching the Ravens blow a missed field goal to tie-up the game against the Patriots.

When we got to Zita's, I started drinking a frozen margarita that was strong as hell. Pat was there and she was already buzzed. Awesome. Of course I spent the evening trying to hang out with her as much as I could.

But then it was dinner time and it was spent feasting on some brisket, carrots, green beans and mashed potatoes. Boy was that good. Everything that is cooked low and slow is my kind of deal.

After cake and watching the 49ers lose in OT, moms and I dropped Marissa off and we just pretty much rested.

(written 1/23/12)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

When I awoke from sleeping on the couch downstairs, I was going to eat breakfast but decided against it. I guess I just got up too late.

I headed out to get my haircut and went to Cardenas in Pomona to buy some avocados and some cucumber for the California rolls for lunch.

I didn't actually make any rolls. Instead, I just prepared everything and we used the pre-roasted sushi rectangles you can buy at the Korean store. They're a little too small, and I cut the cucumber and fake fish too big. I'll have to remember to cut them much smaller than I think they should be cut.

I thought about going for a run or working out this afternoon, but I didn't. Instead, I just lifted some dumbbells and did some bicep curls and push-ups. It was pretty easy, but I could tell my strength is very low right now.

Rachelle called to wish me a happy birthday and ask if I wanted to roll to Binggoy's thing tonight. I hadn't heard about it and I wasn't really invited, so I wasn't really feelin' it. But then I started having second thoughts since it is my birthday after all and shouldn't I go out?

So I played some online poker then Binggoy called and I couldn't say no to The Griffin.

SRS LIGHT GONE

I took moms' car to the dealer in West Co to get the srs light taken care of. I waited about an hour and then it was done. They just had to replace the seat belt buckles and I didn't have to pay anything since it's covered by a lifetime warranty.

Then I went to the dealer in the City of Industry to get a duplicate key for my civic. I'd lost the other two keys so I figured I'd better make an extra one in case I ever lose the only one I have.

On the way back, I went to Ranch 99 off Nogales to buy some sushi mats, some Asian brooms and some other things for myself.

After dinner, I watched Warrior. I thought Nick Nolte was good, but I thought the premise to be a little predictable and also totally unrealistic.

BODY OF PROOF #6

Thank goodness my call time was pushed back to noon. After last night, there was no way I'd be getting up and making it.

There was no traffic and I got to Disney about half an hour early. That gave me a chance to clean up my car. It's always a good feeling when you get things organized, even at a small level.

The PA called me "sleeps a lot" since I was always napping whenever I got a chance. I was tired! But we just worked a scene (I worked as an ME with a lab coat for the first time) and then broke for lunch. I went to the commissary and had some soup and cornbread for less than $4.

The rest of the day was pretty standard. It was the usual crosses inside the lab. Luke from 90210 was there and so was the kick-ass cop in Breaking Bad. The big surprise came when they sang happy birthday to a camera assistant whose birthday was actually in March. I didn't get it, but it was fun.

We broke around 7:20PM and I went home and got some things ready for party time with Jansen before he leaves. He got the night off since he's going to the bay and this is the only time we're going to celebrate my birthday.

We went to Fullerton and hung out at Commonwealth mostly. It was fun but we're fuckin' old. All the chicks are in their mid 20s, but I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Then we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for some wings, then back to his pad where we watched the end of Howl's Moving Castle.

(written 1/20/12)

WASH CITY

Before lunch, I spent some time washing some shit. Interestingly, Tyler's came out at 77%, just like our westside connect. I wonder if they're from the same source?

In the afternoon, I met up with Miguel, the contractor who will be painting the duplex in Pomona. He gave me the color wheel to pick a color, and unfortunately, he wasn't very helpful with choosing the colors. Both tenants were home but they both have different color ideas. Oh well.

Then I picked-up mom's car from the train station since it needed to go to the Honda dealer. I brought it to Walnut Valley Auto Service first, but Dave couldn't do anything with it. So I went to the West Covina dealer and they said it needed a new belt buckle. But I needed to come back tomorrow since they had to order the part.

After that, I visited Bill, Zita and Aunt Pat. We talked about Jerry and Juliet, and Natalie and Nicole. Family issues, but which family doesn't have them?

Then I left to pick moms up and I got stuck behind the train on Valley. I guess it's better to go around since there's no track from the south side of Brea Canyon.

I got Jack's jumbo deal for dinner.

(written 1/20/12)

PINK IN MY EYE

I had moms' windshield on her accord replaced. It was a shop in Montclair. Nice Russian guys. Took about an hour. Got home and was famished. Ate the leftover pasta and meat sauce.

Then went to Walnut Valley Auto Service to see if they could do something about the SRS light. Dave couldn't. He said I had to go to the dealer.

Went to Jansen's after. Played with Jude. Eve was sleeping. Tam got there with the tacos. We left soon after. The story is that we were watching The Artist. Untrue though.

We went to our Westside connect. First ate some tacos at Del Taco. Then after the eagle landed, I asked Jansen if we could go to my clinic for urgent care. He said fine. The one on Grand saw me and said I should go to County since they have eye doctors.

We went. It was ghetto as fuck. There were juvenile delinquents with handcuffs and feet cuffs. Ghetto as hell. There was a nurse that checked me in. She was cute but I didn't get the nerve up to ask her out. I'm such a pussy.

Took forever. Poor Jansen waited. They finally decided it was pink eye. No scratches or no serious issues. That's a relief, but they need to do something about the wait. It's ridiculous. But what? What can they do that they aren't already doing? There has to be a better way.

Dropped off Jansen and went home and got online.

PO PO IN THE FRONT

After lunch, I helped mom shop for a new windshield for her car. It's actually not that expensive and I'm wondering if I should get a new one for my car sometime. I've got so many chips and stuff and plus, I bet it would be nice and clear. I've decided to go with a shop in Montclair because the guy I spoke to seemed really nice and explained things the way I like.

I also did some research into the SRS light that stays on in moms' car. I wondered if I should try resetting it myself to see if that would fix the issue. I hate the idea of spending $55 just to have them say nothing is wrong with it.

Then I decided to organize all my receipts that I've saved for my Honda civic. They were mostly oil changes but for some reason, I can't find the receipt I got when I had the rotors replaced. Quite strange. I hate being so unorganized. I need to work on this.

The rest of the evening was spent wondering if Jansen and I would be heading out to our Westside connect. It turned out he would be going out with his girl so we'll just have to go tomorrow.

For some reason, I'm getting into Call of Duty multi-player. I never thought I'd get so addicted, but there's something about building your character up and making killing easier. I wondered why I was dying so much and it's simply because I was at such a low level. I wish they didn't make it like that but I suppose that's part of being an experienced player.

CHILL DAY WITH THE FAMS

I woke up and ate half a bagel that Karina didn't want. Then, it was lunch time but Karina didn't want to leave. She had lunch with moms at home and Kylie and I went to the Pho Saigon restaurant for some pho.

When we got back, we just sat around until K. Noel and fams came. Kylie wanted to make a dessert so we went to Albertsons for Aunt Pat's pudding/cool whip/Oreo cookies cake. I think it's a much better pie and I will try adjusting the recipe and using a pie crust instead. I guess she makes it that way since it's much easier to serve.

So Kylie and I did some mixing of things. It's a simple dessert to make and we put it in the fridge to set a little. Then we went to Mandarin Palace to pick-up the Chinese food for dinner. It cost over $80 for that food. I think we can buy $80 of food and just cook it ourselves, but I guess that's the price of convenience.

We played some mah jong after dinner then watched The Help. It's a tear jerker of a movie and pretty darn good. The Golden Globes were on and The Descendants won in the drama category. I think The Help is a better movie, but I guess the foreign press likes movies that are less pop.

(written 1/16/12)

THE GIRLS SPEND THE NIGHT

I had no motivation to workout or do anything today. I don't know if it's the low-grade cold, or the pink eye, but I just get tired in the afternoon. Maybe it's because I'm not exercising and that's leading to lower energy levels.

When I woke up from my nap, I vacuumed the bottom part of the house. Then K. Noel and family headed over. They called and told us to meet up with them at North Woods Inn. So we did and we all had a great dinner there. Unfortunately, there is a $6.50 charge for splitting a dinner which sucked. Oh well, we won't be forgetting that.

At home, we went into food comas. The girls spent the night and Jared and fams went home with Marissa accompanying him. I don't know how he gets away with that, but somehow, he does. We played a little bit of mah jong but Karina doesn't like losing so she quit pretty early.

When everyone went to bed, I headed over to Tyler's to pick-up some yay. I am interested in testing it.

(written 1/16/12)

MY PINK EYE

I think I have pink eye. I noticed early this week that my left eye was red. I just thought it was one of those things, but it has stayed red and hasn't gone away. I looked up pink eye and the medical term is conjunctivitis. Apparently, it just goes away after about a week. I hope it does because it is unsettling when you look at it.

Moms had some tofu and black beans, so I made tofu with black bean sauce. It's pretty easy and it's good too. It just takes awhile because you have to fry the tofu, but another method is to just not even fry the tofu and eat it that way. I'd probably use soft tofu for that but firm is probably just as good.

Then we watched The Descendants. Pretty good movie, but not one of those movies where you're just like, that was awesome!

(written 1/15/12)

PARENTHOOD #7

The call time was at 9AM so I left earlier than the 9:30AM call the two days prior and got to Universal super early. Another half hour to kill so I did the usual chill and wait.

Luckily, we only had one scene today. After breakfast, we did the scene and we were wrapped, just like that. Three hours baby!

So I went home, had lunch, then went to Brea to get my jacket at the tailor. I wish I would have looked at it more closely because the back is bunched up again even though Saiyeda put new shoulder pads in. I feel bad asking her to work on it again, so maybe I'll just give her another piece to work on since she said they are moving the shop to the Brea mall. Good for her!

I saw Jansen who was at the gas station next to the tailor. We vacuumed the inside of our car and he let me use the vacuum cleaner which is $1.00 for about 15 minutes. I don't get why he wouldn't use a shop vac but it has something to do with the home owners association.

I chilled at his pad and played with Jude a little. When Jansen had to pick up his mom, I left too and warmed up dinner when I got home.

After dinner, I just played some online poker and downloaded more Philippine pictures.

BLOWN RUSH CALL

I was on the computer this morning and when I went downstairs, I noticed Central had called. Elena was looking for a rush call and by the time I returned her call, it was already filled. Damn it. It's not often that Central will call you to fill-in a spot and I totally blew this opportunity.

I didn't do much the rest of the day.

(written 1/13/12)

PARENTHOOD #6

The usual suspects were in the same campaign office today. I met some Filipinos but I was actually surprised to realize they were Filipino.

One was Jon Miguel out of Brooklyn. I thought he was Chinese and I guess he is part. The other was Johnelle Mays who has this ridiculous ass on a small, upper frame. He lower body is like a black woman's and her upper body is like a Chinese woman's. Everyone was admiring her shape, especially the black dudes. Apparently, she's half white but she definitely doesn't look it.

Half of us were wrapped, but the rest of us stayed and it wasn't so bad because at least we got overtime. But the last shot had us walking around outside and it was freezing cold.

(written 1/13/12)

PARENTHOOD #5

I left for Universal at 7:15AM for a 9:30AM call time so I wouldn't stress and be worried about being late. Indeed, I got there about half an hour ahead of time, so I just chilled in the car for a bit before heading down to stage 44. There was a van waiting for us so I took it to the stage. It's not that far, but I didn't really feel like walking to stage.

Jenny Savage was on hand so it was nice to see a familiar face. We all checked into wardrobe and for some reason, they didn't like the shoes I had on. I guess the Lebrons are just too casual. Maybe it was the Air Force 1s that I wore last time?

Anyway, it was a relatively easy day. We were back inside the campaign office again doing the usual things. It seems like Alexis, the 2nd 2nd was directing background traffic. I wondered if that was a step up for her or if she'd always been doing this.

Peter Strauss was directing the episode and it's too bad he wasn't in the scene because I'd always wondered how you could direct and act at the same time.

We were wrapped just after lunch and I'd forgotten that the show tends to be short. That meant I had time to get to the My Week with Marilyn screening at the DGA. Jenny said she was down to check it out, so when we got there, she already saw a bunch of people she knew. Jenny has got to be one of the hardest working actresses I know. She's always hustling and sometimes I wish I had that kind of energy.

Her friend saved some seats for us. She worked as a dancer in one of Jenny's films and her friend who also went to Cal met up with her later. Jenny and I decided we had some time, so off we went to a bar right across the street from the DGA. They had happy hour so Jenny had a jalapeno martini while I had the sangria for $5. We didn't have much time so we pretty much chugged them.

But that set us straight and it was just right for the movie. My Week didn't impress me too much and I don't think I would vote for any best acting performances even though I realize how difficult it is to play someone we all know. I think what happened is that unlike a biopic, this movie was about a British PA's week with Marilyn Monroe versus a movie specifically about Marilyn. So the focus isn't on the actress.

Still, the q&a with Kenneth Branaugh and Michelle Williams was pretty revealing. They discussed how they would get into character and how they didn't necessarily want to impersonate Monroe or Lawrence Olivier. Instead, they wanted their spirits to be brought out.

After the screening, Jenny said she was going to work out while I just went straight home. I felt really tired.

(written 1/11/12)

START OF THE RUN (AGAIN)

I tried to do a few things today just to get the productivity juices flowing again.

I crossed a few things off my list but they weren't really that important. One was to request a credit report since it's that time of the year again. Another was to pay my dental insurance bill.

I was a little worried I wouldn't get off my hiney to do a short run, but I actually did and it felt pretty good. I was doing a little huffin' and puffin', but that was probably due to the cold I'm still getting over. It's kind of hanging around but thank goodness it's very mild.

I watched Cal beat Oregon in basketball pretty easily, so I'm pumped that Cal has a chance to win the conference. We'll see how it goes. This Thursday, they play an undefeated Colorado team which should be a good game.

I just watched tv and played a little COD before going to bed. I also did two loads of laundry.

MIGHTY LAZY

I made some breakfast for me and Kylie then dropped Kylie off at Pat Alvarez's apartment in Chino Hills just off of Chino Hills Parkway just before lunch. The poor girl is going through a separation and now, probably a divorce. What can you do when you're not happy with the relationship? Kim said she and her friends never really felt they were very much compatible, but hey, what can you say when someone is getting married?

After eating lunch, I just watched tv and hung out and rested. I felt tired for some reason and took a nap. Maybe I'm a little sick with this cold and all or maybe I just don't feel like working out. Or maybe the idea of working out makes me feel lazy? Regardless, I slept and when I woke up, I called Sayeida my tailor in Brea to see if she had my jacket ready. She didn't. That was actually ok for me since I didn't feel like going to Brea.

My Tito Danny called me while I was playing online poker after dinner. Unfortunately, our connection was very bad and we didn't get much of a chance to speak. Instead, he wished me happy new year and told me to get married. He's really good about reminding me both things every year.

(written 1/8/12)

THE ARTIST WITH KYLIE

I picked Kylie up to go watch The Artist in Los Angeles near Westwood in the afternoon after lunch. The screening wasn't until 8PM, but I knew we would hit traffic and it would take some time to get there even though the traffic mostly went the opposite direction. Once we got south of downtown, that's when we stopped.

We had a little bit of time left so I took her to Chego for dinner. She didn't like it too much and thought it was overpriced. I agree with her. For what you get, it just costs too much. The flavors are good but they're all melded together so it's hard to figure out what you're eating exactly. I guess we just enjoy different pieces of food on a plate or bowl rather than mixed.

The line seemed pretty long at the screening so I dropped her off while I parked. It was at the Wadsworth theater which is in a strange area of Brentwood. It was like inside a medical campus or something.

We got pretty good seats and played some Yahtz Me while waiting. Finally, the movie started and because of the large crowd, it turned the theater into a sauna. It was hot as hell and thank god they opened the doors up after the movie ended because it was so hot.

The q&a was moderated by some guy from KCRW but he kept interrupting the panel and wasn't that great of an interviewer. But we still had fun and I suspect this movie has a great chance of winning best picture. It's the favorite right now, but there's still plenty of time before the Oscars so we'll see what happens.

Kylie spent the night here and just got on her computer before going to bed.

(written 1/7/12)

GOLF WITH TYLER

We got to Willowick a little later than we had planned, so we had a chance to warm-up on the putting range a little and practice some chips. The guy who checked us in had forgotten about us, so we actually didn't get started until after 12:30PM which is twilight time.

In our group was Emanuel and Steve. E is Steph's sister Kim's boyfriend and I didn't recognize him when we shook hands. I had forgotten about him since we stopped playing poker at his house. That friendly OC poker club was pretty fun, but I guess people just got tired of playing poker.

The round went ok. I had another snowman hole that shot my score up to 86. It's frustrating to always have that one dumb hole that screws up your score, but then again, golf is one of those sports where you're never really satisfied no matter what your score is. If I had shot an 82, I would have wondered what I screwed up on since it's only a few shots to break 80.

Afterwards, we headed to Hooters and met up with Jansen and Tam. I always bring my super sweet coupon to get 20 wings free by booking a time on Click4TeeTimes even though I just print out the coupon that I got the first time. They always accept it which is awesome.

I just went home, showered and rested after golf.

(written 1/7/12)

REDEMPTION AT VIEJAS

Jared and I left around 10:30AM for Viejas again. We wanted redemption. Since we left a little late, we were kind of stressing about getting to the tournament on time. We stopped by a McD's for lunch, then straight to the casino.

There weren't a lot of people in the tournament. At first, the cashier told us we couldn't use our free poker tournament voucher, but after talking to the poker floor guy, he said we could. The lady just hadn't gotten the memo.

The tournament had two tables and there were four or five people that joined after it started. Poor Jared got short-stacked when he pushed AQ on the button against pocket kings. He lost that hand, but got some chips back on another hand. He eventually went out when he blinded down and some of his chips actually got into my stack since I took him out when another player folded after seeing the flop. I think he had A9s.

Anyway, I got to the final table just barely and was down to only about 14 pink chips. But there were only six of us left so we talked the chip leader into chopping if we each gave him $5. That meant that instead of winning $91, we would get $86 and the chip leader would get $116. If he continued to play and win, he would have won $176. If I were he, I would have just kept playing, so I'm glad and a little lucky that we chopped.

It felt great to get in the money, but it didn't really lessen the blow I felt from last Monday and choking and not making the money in the four table tourney. But at least I got the money I entered with back, even though I lost out on the gas money.

We hit traffic coming back so we stopped by Temecula and smoked some Swishers Jared had purchased. We also had some dogs at AM/PM and checked out a cigar lounge that was really just for private members.

We also stopped by the Nike outlet in Lake Elsinore, but there wasn't much there. So I just dropped Jared off at his dad's and went home.

(written 1/7/12)

18 AND OVER AT TAPAS

I took a nap in the afternoon even though I felt like I wanted to do some exercise. When I woke up, I was about to get started doing some jump rope when the door bell. It was Kimi and the kids. They were on their way home from Larry's funeral, the father of Juliette.

They said the reception was nice and that it was held at Jerry and Juliette's house. Jared was going to stay tonight so we could play poker tomorrow, but also so he could go out clubbing with Jansen and the rest of our group. He was pumped, but little did he realize the power of a 1st year anniversary. So he bought flowers for Marissa, but as her best friend Kelly texted, "you're going to bring Marissa to a club with your uncle for your 1st anniversary? You're retarded."

So I left him at Adam and Kelly's since he decided to abort the club thing. I left for Jansen's and looked at all the work they were doing with the plumbing issue they've had. Apparently, one of the pipes goes down the side of the house so they've actually had to dig through there too. It's crazy, but what can you do?

Vanessa and Nate came through and all night long, Vanessa was yappin' about work. That's all she ever talked about, so I decided to talk to her about running since she too has been running quite some time. She's up to seven miles now, so I told her that the longer ones are a little more painful. But she's into speed as well, so she doesn't want to go further unless she can run them around 9 minutes or less. Me, I'm all about finishing, but some people are into the competitive aspect of getting a good time.

The club was fun and Jansen and I came a little later because we had to go back to his place to get his passport. We thought about going to Dinn's for a stopover for some yay, but decided against it. We would basically have been gone just as long as we were gone for the passport.

I had forgotten that I'd been to the club before long ago. I recognized the eating area outside. Tonight, they had a little taco bar going for $1 per street taco. Initially, it seems like a pretty good deal, but when you think about how little you're getting, it's really not. The tacos were small and you can eat them up in like two or three bites. Not bad, but not great either.

We left about 12:30AM since people had to work tomorrow. Me? I'm playing poker. I ate a bunch of potato chips on the couch and fell asleep on it.

(written 1/4/11)

I CHOKE AS BUBBLE BOY

It's Jared's 18th birthday today. Wow, I can't believe he's 18! K. Noel and Amanda came over for breakfast and we all went to Guasti Homestyle Cafe. It was an old home before when Chino was known for its wine grapes. At least that's the story. Then, over time, it was converted into a restaurant.

The servings were huge and it was the kind of breakfast you imagine you want to cook and just get crazy over. I couldn't even come close to finishing mine meal, but I did eat about half the hash browns, all three eggs and one of the fried bologna slices as well as the four slices of toast.

Then K. Noel and Amanda left for the track while Marissa, moms and I went back to the house. After chilling for a little while, Marissa's dad picked her up and off we all went to Viejas casino where gambling is legal for 18 year olds. We dropped moms off and then drove out to San Diego State.

The campus is nice and it's got a great view since it overlooks the freeway and surrounding community. I was surprised how nice it was, but it still had that state school look to me. After driving around a little, I got some money at a BofA and then we headed back to Viejas.

But the tournament didn't start until 6:15PM so we did some shopping at the outlet stores right across the street. We went into the Nike discount store and I was very close to buying some shoes but decided against it.

Then we went back across the street, smoked a knock-off swisher, then headed in. We actually were a few minutes late since their clock was a little faster than ours. Poor Jared got out on some unlucky hands.

One hand had him with AK v A3 against a cutie. She flopped two pair and while Jared turned trips, she turned a boat. He's lucky not to have lost all his chips on that hand. But his final blow was KQs v AA and what are you going to do about that.

I actually doubled up a few times. I played about nine hands and got to two tables with five people each. But I had what BJ called a brain fart and pushed KJ when the guy next to me who was under the gun just limped in with KQ. I felt like an idiot when he called because I didn't think he would. The Q flopped and that was that.

The final table was set and I was left looking at the board wondering what the fuck I just did. I couldn't believe what happened and how I screwed up. I had 22 pink chips worth 500 and two yellow ones worth 2500. The blinds were 1000/2000. There were some guys who only had 8 pink chips. I could have just checked and waited it out.

I'm not sure what I was thinking. I guess I thought I had the best hand and I didn't actually think the guy would call me. But he did and that left me feeling so unsatisfied.

After, I tried talking to the cute sisters who also played with some encouragement from Jared. But it was a fail and although she seemed game and was giggly, I left without a number or anything. Oh well, it takes persistence and practice to get good at anything, so that's what I've been trying to do lately.

I drove home dejected, but feeling a little better after dropping Jared off at home and talking to Beejay about the hand when we got home at about 11PM. Poor moms will be tired at work tomorrow. But at least she had fun with her grandson.

(written 1/3/12)

LAZY FIRST DAY OF THE YEAR

I went to bed probably around 3 to 3:30AM last night, so waking up was hard to do. By the time I made my way down, moms had some frozen personal pizzas thawing as well as some lumpia ready to fry. When they were done, we had a light lunch and then I spent the rest of the day just lounging around.

After a pretty long nap, I woke up and did some more lounging. Jared played at DB golf course and when he got back, we had dinner which was basically different kinds of baked chicken.

Then Jared left to hang out with Kelly and Adam, so I went upstairs to play some poker. When he returned, I did more lounging until it was time for bed.

(written 1/2/11)