Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Thr-Events

It's a busy time, these upcoming 6 days.

First up: Halloween Horror Nights
It's been many years since I've gone to a Halloween theme park. I think it was way back in high school when I went to Knott's Scary Farm. This Friday, I will be going to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. I've heard that it's a lot better than Knott's in terms of quality. I just hope we'll get to do every thing. I can't wait to stare Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger square in the eyes and say "Bitch, make me a sandwich!"

Second up: Jack's Mannequin
At last! I've secured tickets to a Jack's Mannequin concert! One of my favorite bands to see perform live was Something Corporate. When Andrew McMahon split off and formed Jack's Mannequin, I was saddened. However, his new music was amazing and I couldn't wait to see him live. But his first tour sold out in a matter of minutes and his second tour sold out even faster it seems. Then KROQ announced another show and I snatched up tickets. Sure Ticketmaster upcharged the hell out of me and I still despise them for it, but at least I'm going to the show!

Last up: Electiontime
It's been a long long race to the White House and I am praying that Barack Obama gets voted in. He's been my pick since the start and I know he'll do great things for the country. He may not be that experienced, but we need a calm cool head to lead the country out of this mess created by the Bush administration. If Sarah Palin and her old man make it into the White House, I'll join Tina Fey on the first rocket off this planet.


Stayin' coo babeh!

Ricky

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Bypass Bypass Bypass

It was quite a week last week for us, but especially for the Martini family. The Debster had a heart attack.

Let me assure you that she is all right and doing well. But not without having an awful week in the hospital.

She had apparently been having some chest pains for a few days and had been carrying some aspirin just in case. When she found that she could not walk at work without stopping after ever few steps to grasp her chest, she... well... she worked a 15 hour day. The pains had subsided. But on her drive home, the pains got worse. She took an aspirin and had a family member drive her to the hospital.

So after undergoing many tests, it was discovered that her arteries were very much blocked and she needed an emergency triple bypass open heart surgery. Yipes!

The procedure took around 4 hours. She spent 1 or 2 days in the Critical Care Unit and was released after she was able to produce a bowel movement on her own. Yippee!

She's home now, but on a long road to recovery. She's also a changed woman. I believe she has given up red meat in exchange for red fruits. It's all about apples and pomegranate juice.

We're so glad that she is safe and well now. Here's hoping that this episode motivates others in my family to partake in more exercise and healthful eating habits.


Fartaking,

Ricky

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Credit Card Crisis

So this is what normal people feel like with money woes.

My friends, there used to be a time when I would buy whatever the hell I wanted because, well frankly, I was living la vida good life; living with the folks, paying no bills, no rent, free food, everything went to savings. But you know, with the purchase of a freakin' big expensive house, well to be honest, things haven't changed all that much. I still buy stuff that I want. Hell, I just bought $150 worth of video games last weekend and will spend an additional $250 on Rock Band/Guitar Hero at month's end.

But besides all that, I've been feeling the crunch. I've been eating out less at work. Before, when I wasn't a homeowner, I would eat out for sushi or Persian cuisine; really expensive stuff. Take a look at me now and you'll find me getting a $2 omelet sandwich from Subway or a cheap something-er-rather from the cafeteria. It's depressing.

I no longer browse the Gold Box deals at Amazon and randomly buy things I don't need (or let alone truly want). I prevent myself from buying the latest and greatest things/games/Threadless T-shirt designs.

And yet still, my credit card bill piles on higher than Coxsmith's high school buddies at a mud wrestling party. Many of the purchases are necessities that occur continually such as my $150 train pass, $50+ gas charges, and Playstation Network points (I gots ta have my Rock Band tunes). And then most of the other spending is for food. But then there's a huge chunk that I need to curb which falls in the category of "Stuff I Likes." Can you blame me for liking stuff?

But it isn't so hard to justify spending money when you think of places where you're saving. Take for example our electric bill. By signing up for the A/C Cycling Rebate program (where they have the authority to turn off your A/C if they are facing an energy crunch), we are saving a boffo amount of moolah. Our electric bill last month was only $8 and this month is $13. That's an incredible savings considering many others pay upwards of $300 per month! It pays to keep unnecessary lights off and the A/C thermostat at 85ยบ.

We are also saving money by not having Waste Disposal service. We accumulate our garbage until we can transport it to a trash receptacle elsewhere. Of course, this charade can't last too long, nor would I want it to. But for now, we're saving $50-sommat per month.

And lastly, I save a ton of money by not needing to repair the windshield on the car or stuff to that effect. You know, those crappy expenses that pop up unexpectedly? By not having to pay for those, I can spend that money on the "Stuff I Likes."

As our economy heads into a Depression-like era, I will continue to buy frivolous things and enjoy the hell out of them. Boo. Ya.


Spending and spending,

Mavericky

Monday, October 06, 2008

The NorCal Directive


greetings friends
i come once more
with photographs in tow
having stowed away with two simpsonic strangers
to the land to the north
the city skyline above my cranium
a palace of primitive artwork
a beach and a bridge
and gelatinous forms of life
interesting these gelatin beings may enslave this planet
before my plans transpire
end transmission






Saturday, October 04, 2008

"Action and [re]Action" / "Fall From Grace"

One of my favoritish bands of the past whatever had been The Get Up Kids. I believe I have all of their albums. They are now defunct, but if you remember them, they had a very bouncy catchy rock sound, almost cheerleadery.

I liked them so much that I gave them the honor of being in my House Walkthrough music video. I used the song "Wouldn't Believe It" simply because of one lyric that related to a new house which went like this:

"Rows of houses on forever..."

Yeah, that's about it. But the song worked pretty well with the video.

In order to share it on this blog, I posted it to YouTube. However, in order to be semi-private, I always post videos with gibberish for tags, so that no one will be able to search for my videos.

So anyway, it came as a surprise to me when I received this email:



W. T. F. ?.

Seriously, was it because I used the entire song and they didn't want anyone listening to the track for free? No one would have been able to search for the song anyway! This freakin' pisses me off. FUCK The Get Up Kids and their fucking fat ass of a balding loser fucktard lead singer. Fuck them. I'm glad they got nowhere in the music business. My only regret is that I bought their albums legit. Had I known that they were this fucking anal about using their music, I would have downloaded all their tracks for free. Hell, they only have a handful of good songs anyway. Fucking rot in hell dumbasses.


I won't "Forgive and Forget," though you'll "Regret" this,

Ricky