todays lunch = sixty well spent minutes

A good friend and I meet up for lunch at least once a week. He works in the mall that is a few blocks away and today we spent our hour sitting and watching little kids on the indoor playground there, chuckling to ourselves about how easily amused and cute they all were. I’m pretty sure they would have been just as entertained with a cardboard box as they were with this 4ft tall boat.

I have been on the look out a few weeks now for a new hat and after leaving my friend I somehow wondered into a store towards their sales bin where I found the perfect one for $10. My head is ecstatic.

I said I ‘somehow wondered’ because I was on the phone and not really paying attention to what I was doing… (apparently I spend money when I’m not paying attention, hmm).. but as this hat was getting out of my mind and into my life…(why am I hearing Billy Ocean right now??)… I was finalizing the plans for a cupcake baking party, (for prom), on Thursday at my house. I don’t even like cupcakes, but the thought of baking them with a few of my girlfriends sort of fancies me.

It’s the simple things in life that make me smile.
Happy Tuesday.

8 days and counting.

I’m finding great humor in the fact that, at age 25, I was just asked to my first dance. A long time friend of mine messaged me a few days ago from Arizona and asked if I would go to prom with him. I immediately informed him that it was rude to tease a girl about such a thing. This morning he sent me his flight itinerary. How could I refuse?? It’s entirely besides the point that his family lives here and that I’m pretty sure he was planning on coming anyways... what is relative is that I now have a date to the prom and someone to slow dance to Celine Dion with. I find the whole thing rather humorous and cute. Now I just need to find a dress…

today’s tid-bits

The Giants? Really? GO PATRIOTS!!!

I reinjured an old knee wound from back in Nam snowboarding last Sunday. Of course I continued to ride for another 5 hours. As a result a co-worker is taking great joy in being able to call me gimpy again. I suppose I deserve it. My new dodgeball season starts next week and naturally I will be playing regardless of the handicap. I apparently love learning the hard way…. and I’m stubborn.

My Grandparents, I will have you know, are quite the gamblers. They are frequent offenders of a little place called Atlantic City. Once a year my Mom’s side of the family meets there to eat, visit, and gamble (obviously). How it works: Grandmas on the slots, my Aunts and Uncle are on various card tables, and Gpa is meandering around between everyone keeping tabs on individual’s winnings and making sure we all know when and where we're eating again so we can do the aforementioned visiting thing. Gramps is turning 80 at the end of next month but taking a preemptive trip to the AC in two weeks, so now I am as well. I’m not sure that any other extended family will be there besides the Grand-rents, but in addition to them I’ll get to see my Dad (who has since moved to the east coast), my brother (who I haven’t seen in… I’m not actually sure anymore), and my prego sister (I’m looking forward to seeing her nice and plump). I leave Friday morning and get back Sunday night. 2 days of planes, trains, and automobiles for 1 day of fam time. It’s worth it.

Prom is in nine days. NINE DAYS PEOPLE!!! The decoration committee is hard at work, 100’s of cupcakes are being made to serve along with the punch (which I plan on spiking), and I’m working on a list of early 90’s songs for the DJs that definitely need to be played. This may just be the most ridiculous thing ever. Well, maybe.

Last but certainly not least, in case you were wondering about the monster truck show… I’m pretty sure my face in this picture accurately portrays how absolutely fantasmica it was….



You know you want one…

Key note for the day:

It is almost time for Girl Scout cookies!!




him: Do you ever correlate the girl scouts with drug dealing?
these girls get rounded up
they are given product from their supplier
who get it from their supplier
all the money that they make they have to give back
and all they get is a merit badge or some ish like that
what do the girls get out of it?

me : sugar high?

him: gotta get that fix
‘I need some more smack bird’
but none the less I do like those damn cookies


He's got a good point.

Are you ready for some football??

Well I’m not. Not really anyways. Not after the Hawks had their asses handed to them on Saturday. I could rant on about what a horrible game that was but I’ll refrain and get on with what I’m really festering over. Who the hell am I going to cheer for in the AFC championship game?? I’m fairly confident that either team could beat the winner of the NFC game, but I find myself at odds with who gets my vote.

I am a Charger by birth. I was born in San Diego and they, along with the Padres, will forever be my default teams. Last season my Hawks section nearly gave me the boot because I wore my ’86 Chargers t-shirt (how I still fit into it is beyond me) underneath my Seattle jersey and I caught myself cheering for SD as we clinched the win. <---- Did you see how I just did that?? I said ‘we’ as if I am still a Charger. I’m sure I will eventually be ousted as a true Hawks fan for such things. I have a soft spot. Give me a break. So here is my dilemma: I would really like to see first hand (via the television obviously) an undefeated season by the Patriots. They are now just two games away from accomplishing this but in order to do so they would have to beat my Chargers in Sundays AFC championship game. So who am I going to cheer for?? My ‘home’ team? Or the second team in NFL history to have a perfect regular and post season? At this point I’ll just have to wait until I’m watching the game and see who I end up screaming at the television for (because I do that sort of thing). If only they could play each other in the Super Bowl.

The two reasons why I don’t really care about the NFC game now that the Hawks are out: the Packers and the Giants.

Green Bay beat Seattle. Hard. Granted the Hawks didn’t really show up to play so I should be upset with them, but instead I’ve opted to point the finger elsewhere and blame the Packers on their own victory. Yeah, it would be nice to see Favre win in his last season (maybe?), and sure he’s a great quarterback with a laundry list of various awards, rings, and records under his belt… one of which includes most interceptions thrown ((had to throw that one out there (no pun intended). Really, who would want that??))… and he of course helped mold the Hawk’s own Hasselbeck into the QB he is today so I should be grateful… but despite all of these things, all of the reasons I should want to see him succeed, there is one particular thing keeping me from wanting to see the team succeed and advance to the Super Bowl… I’m bitter. *folds arms*

And then there are the Giants. It’s 2004 and Eli Manning is the number one draft pick by the San Diego Chargers… and then he refuses to play for them because they are not a good enough team. Excuse me? Aren’t you new?? Subsequently he was traded to the New York Giants. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of how/why the draft is set up the way it is don’t you think?? Hate to dislike an entire team because of one person, but the QB is the front man so the cards just fall that way some times.


**Small disclaimer - I am fully aware that none of these reasons are the most statistical way I could approach either of these games, but it is what it is.**

So here’s how I see it:

If the Patriots beat the Chargers, (notice I said ‘if’), then they will win the Super Bowl. I think they could beat both NY and Green Bay, but that they would have a more difficult time with the latter. Patriots are currently 0-1 against Green Bay in previous SBs, so their chance at redemption, along with the obvious potential 19-0 record, would add another interesting element. This team match up would be the most entertaining in my opinion, although one scenario that would be just RAD to see... NY and SD. Watching Eli be defeated by the team he refused to play for would be absolutely priceless.

I’ll be snowboarding all day on Sunday so the TiVo will be set and the games will be awaiting my return… so no one call me and say who won or you’ll ruin Christmas!!

I hate to say it, but football this year needs to just hurry up and end so I can focus more on my true love, basketball.

Monster Jam!!!

Anything that goes BOOM!!!, gets crunched, smashed, obliterated, can be lit on fire, implodes, or explodes kind of excites me. I would love to be a pyrotechnic. Being on site for a demolition and pushing the big red button for some 30-something story building has always been a fantasy of sorts. In a nut shell, I like watching things be destroyed. When the old Kingdome stadium here in Seattle was set to be demolished I planned out my viewing spot 2 months in advance. It was in that same stadium that I went to my last monster truck show. This Saturday I get to go rock out again, (this time in the Tacoma dome), watch a little derby action, and see some big trucks break shit. I’m stoked.





Things to be expected:
- a variety of mullets
- an array of handle bar mustaches
- chaps (I’ll give double points for no pants underneath)
- to loose a few brain cells by inhaling exhaust fumes
- total inhalation of multiple cars
- something to be set on fire
- to leave wanting my own monster truck
- a damn good time


BRING IT!!

Luis Bernal

My friend Luis (aka Taco) was murdered on December 11th, 2006. The first of two trials recently concluded and tomorrow afternoon i will be going to the sentencing of the first person found guilty. I was asked by the family to write a victims impact letter to the court and will possibly be reading it aloud tomorrow.

Love and hugs.


VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
State of Washington vs. ABEL EDUARDO CONTRERAS Superior Court
Cause No. 06-1-05904-4

State of Washington vs. Anthony N. Sakellis
Cause No. 06-1-05885-4


I appreciate this opportunity to let the court know how the death of Luis Bernal has personally affected me. This is something that I have been forced to think about ever since last December, and no matter how much time passes finding the words to describe how I feel about the murder of my friend still proves to be very difficult.

I have known Luis for over 10 years. He was a loving son and brother, along with a caring friend and former roommate. He was a teddy bear and could always bring a smile to anyone’s face. I have countless memories of him including traveling, video games, hearing him play records, various road trips, late night talks, food runs, kitchen cleaning parties, holidays, shared pets, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the last memory and image I have of him now is of his murdered body lying in a coffin, dressed in his favorite football jersey, covered in a blanket, and wishing that he’d just jump up and tell me that it was just one of his stupid pranks. Only it was not. I have spent countless hours playing out what that fateful night may have been like for him. I have heard him calling for help, and I have envisioned him being shot and killed. I have never wanted any of those thoughts to run through my head, but they have. His death has brought up emotions within me ranging everything from depression to rage. I feel sorrow for everyone who has been left to deal with this horrendous loss and I am angry at those who are responsible for making us feel this way. We will never be able to call Luis on the phone again. We will never be able to hear his voice. We will never share another birthday, laugh, story, smile, or joke. We will never find out what his children will be like, and he will never experience the joys of being an Uncle. How can anyone accurately portray the feelings these facts create? And how are we supposed to cope and accept his loss when it was something so completely unnatural and at the hands of another human being?

This letter was suppose to be written in order for me to explain what the impact of Luis Bernal’s death has been on me, but I don’t think that any arrangement or amount of words will ever give justice to how torn inside I am about this situation, and neither will any sentence that is ever handed down to the defendant. Luis will be missed by so many and no amount of jail time served will ever bring him back. My only wish is that the court recognizes the fact that Abel Eduardo Contreras deserves to be in jail as long as possible because five, ten, or fifteen years down the road Abel will still have the one thing that he robbed Luis of: His life.

Two glasses of wine.

I’m pretty sure that forwarding mass emails to 100+ people as apposed to pressing delete will not help me find true love, save a starving child in Ethiopia, or prevent my leg from being severed in some horrible accident. However, I do read them sometimes and I kind of liked this one. As apposed to spamming multiple inboxes across America I opted to contain it to one location and blog it here. Enjoy.


TWO GLASSES OF WINE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend."

I love it when weekends kick ass!!

There is nothing worse than going back to work on a Monday morning feeling like your weekend just sucked. Having a good few days off almost makes it ok to have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to re-involve myself in the work force. It’s entirely besides the point, btw, that I didn’t work 40hrs+ the past two weeks like I normally do.

Friday night I had dinner with two of my favorite people, Aaron and Julia. Aaron and I have a love affair with the happy hour at Dragonfish and eat there almost every weekend. Over the holidays we collectively accumulated about $100 in gift certificates by filling out their comment cards, which were quite humorous I might add, but couldn’t start cashing in on them until this month. We may be increasing our weekly attendance for a while. A few hours were spent eating, chatting, and spilling saki, then I called it an early night because I had a long day planned, including a big game, the next day.

I am, if you didn’t already know, kind of a sports nut. Keep that in mind for all future and/or past sports blogings. I have season tickets to the Seahawks and Saturday was their first playoff game against the Washington Redskins. SUCH a good game!! Actually, I found the first half to be a little boring (aside from our TDs of course) and filled with some questionable calls, but the fourth quarter of that game may have been the most exciting 15 minutes of the entire season… which made it SUCH a good game!! Three things: I love Josh Brown, Trufant is a G, bring on Green Bay. GO HAWKS!!!

Which brings us to yesterday… I went snowboarding for the first time in 6 years. Up until yesterday I had only ever rode one season, only been to Snoqualmie pass, and had never ridden during the day. Man, I’ve been missing out. A group of 10 of us spent the entire day up at Stevens pass and now I know why everyone thinks Snoqualmie sucks. I’m actually quite impressed with myself for how well I did after not going for so long, although one notable fall (which was only one of a handful thank you very much) included my tail bone and a patch of ice. No bueno. I’m walking a bit funny at the moment, but it was all worth it. I knew that I enjoyed snowboarding but I had forgotten really just how much. I’m ready to go back.... right now!!

So there was my weekend in a nut shell (or blog if you want to get technical about it). It was a good one. I’m hoping it will hold me over until Friday.

for every end there is a new beginning

If I was going to write about 2007 and all of its haps I probably would have on the 31st, but I didn’t... so this is all I’m going to say about it: I laughed, I cried, I wished I could fly. I loved, I lost, and I’m still alive. I’ve set my goals for 2008 and I’m excited to see how many of them I accomplish by 2009.

I have a feeling that this will be a great year for a lot of people. Hopefully you are one of them.

Happy '08 folks.