The Apple of My i


Well fellas, it's official. I am now a Mac user!

After much crap with my old PC (roughly 50 million start up issues and crashing problems), I said to it "Git the flook outta my hizzie fo shizzie!" and dropped kicked that motha out the window.

Actually I just gave it to Mother Routes and bought myself a brand new iMac G5! This baby, which I'm using right now to type this blog, is super fast, super sleek, super clean, and super duper. It's a freakin' amazing machine that's inherently fun to use.

Quite possibly my favorite feature is Dashboard, which puts all these useful little tools (called widgets) at your fingertips with the touch of a button. Ellvin Kelvin flew back home for the weekend and we tracked his flight using a widget. There's a widget that finds the lyrics to the current song playing in iTunes. And there's one that tells me what's on TV. No more frustration using TVguide.com and its crappy layout.

Of course, I'm still getting used to the new computer. I want to master all the keyboard shortcuts and utilize this baby to its fullest potential. I still have yet to play around with iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and Garage Band (which I doubt I'd use, but if you have an instrument and would like to record a song, come on by). The Mac came with built-in Bluetooth technology and Airport Extreme, so I would really like to use those as much as I can. I'm using the Bluetooth with my wireless keyboard and mouse. I can't wait to get an Airport Express to wireless connect to the internet and an iSight so I can video conference with Ellvin Kelvin's girlfriend (she has one too).

My computer already has a name too! If you remember in Spring 2004 when I got my iPod, I spent a while finding the right name for it. I ended up naming it Pigwidgeon after Ron's little owl. Well, from Erico Suave's suggestion, my iMac's name is Errol (the Weasley family owl). My mouse's name is Scabbers. And my keyboard's name is Skeeter. I was toying around with the idea of naming it Fawkes, but that name seems more fitting for a PowerBook (hint hint wink wink).

All in all, this computer was totally worth the money ($1,700) and looks damn sharp on my computer desk. I love it and am so glad I made the switch, amidst some opposition from PC enthusiasts, and think I'll be a healthy Mac user for quite some time.



Virus and venereal disease free,

Ricky
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That Summertime Feeling


I'm not ready for summer. This whole heat thing does not suit me well. I'm not ready for the whole driving in the car and your sweaty back sticking to the leather seat thing. I'm not ready for that forever uncomfortable feeling in your feet when they're neither hot nor cold and you just want to chop them off with a machete.

You see, when you're out of school, summer doesn't matter. Summer is just the same as winter, but it sucks because it's hot. You can't sip hot chocolate anymore, no sir! You can't bundle up all warm in your blanket, no Bob! It's naked time for you and you know what? YOU'RE STILL MOTHER FREAKIN' HOT!

Well, there wasn't really a point to this blog except to bitch about the sun and all its burnination. But heed this warning:

Summer dons the perils of winter solely for the purposes of dawn's day black, yet winter in its fall forgoes the shallow nature of all its wonderment and spawns frayed hacks from their careless souls.

If you're able to decipher that riddle I just pulled outta my ass, then you sir are not human.

Oh and by the way, I need someone to go with me to The Get Up Kids Farewell Concert in two weeks. Any takers?



Poetic and pedantic,

Ricky
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Foul Bowels


I love to start stories with pleasant news and then lure readers into just the thing they never want to read; especially when they're probably eating some nice Jello pudding at the computer.

But let's just get to the nitty gritty (or should I say "nutty" gritty). I'm kidding. It's nothing like that. No, I didn't have corny or nutty poop (nor sesame seedy). I'll save that story for another time. At work, I had to take this masterful dump and Lord knows that I only take a No. 2 at work if it's already basically half way out my patoots.

So there I was, in one of the three toilet stalls in the bathroom. Then, two co-workers entered, talking about stuff. I held my stance waiting for them to leave, but noticed them taking seats in the other two stalls. It was actually my first time involved in what is known as "A Triple Shit."

Now, when I'm on a public John, I try my damndest to not make a toot. I'll hold that sucker in till I'm all alone before I let it crank. Apparently my talkative co-wo's don't believe that same philosophy, "Toot around others as you would like to be tooted on" (I think that's how it goes). These two guys next to me were unleashing every possible fart you can imagine; high pitched, low pitched, long pitched, short and concise, watery, peep, splattered, quacky, you name it.

It goes without saying that I wasn't part of that Triple Shit for long. I had to break the trio and run for fresh air.

Now, for that pleasant news. I suppose it's only pleasant for those who bought tickets with me. After 4 months of planning, I've completely completed the Wicked Group Ticket transaction with the nice people at the Pantages.

So everyone has paid except for Prisoner Tribbiani who will pay me when he's back in California. There are a ton of us going, so hopefully I'll get a big group shot in front of the theater. And I really had a great time organizing this. It was pretty easy. I think I'll be organizing a group outing to see Prisoner Tribbiani when he tours the country in Thoroughly Modern Millie!



Boe-doe-ee-doe,

Ricky
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Dancing For Pennies in the Street


For those of you who don't know, I am now a fully exempt employee at my company. At the end of the month, I will be taking over Co-worker Mike's job as he goes off to earn his MBA. My new position is Competitive Analyst and with that new title, I will also be getting benefits, vacation time, and a bump in salary (actually, it'll be a true salary!).

Right now, I don't really know exactly what I'll be doing. I know I'll be tackling some market research for the company, but there are other little tasks that I will be inheriting, such as writing product descriptions.

It's an exciting time right now for me because this job can open up some additional opportunities. For starters, I am going to have to take the Series 6 exam. A Series 7 would qualify me for bigger careers. I'm also considering getting my MBA. The company will reimburse me for some of the school fees. And, well, you know, all this scares me.

I just really hope I don't let anyone down if this job is too much for me to chew. I know that my new manager is very fond of Co-worker Mike (he's also much loved by the entire company), so I have entirely too big of shoes to fill. But I will do my best, naturally.

Moving to older news, many of you already know that Granny K took a terrifying fall last Sunday night. She tripped and hit her head on the tile floor. Thankfully she's alright (after a all-night check up at the emergency room).

And lastly, summer is approaching and you know what that means! Well, nothing terribly exciting. I just got my hair cut short again.

I'm not sure if I like it. I was getting really sick of my long hair and always slicking it back each morning, but now it looks like every other asian guy's hair. I guess I should expect to be called "Dang" again this summer.



Workin' the combover,

Ricky
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Muqin


Tis ye grand ol' day of the mothers and those women in our lives who are motherly and guiding. So why is Mother Routes all stressed at the moment?

Probably because we're late for the grand ol' ye Mother's Day family hoopity-doopla party palooza. Yeah, it's a potluck and we don't know what we're bringing yet.

I feel kinda bad. Last year, I did this big ol' shoppapalooza cake and flower bit for my co-worker "mothers," but this year, I didn't do anything. Well, I guess it's good to stop at the second year, otherwise it's assumed that my giving is a tradition. And I wouldn't want that!

But even for my mother mother, I wanted to do something big (ol'), or just anything for today. I never really got a chance to think up something (something about interview prep that occupied my time and nerves). But in the Vons ad today, I saw that they had flower arrangements starting at $30, so I stopped by to see what I could fetch. Apparently everyone had the same idea because they had absolutely nothing (except for this very small, very crappy flower/weed arrangement in a dinky dog-bowlish looking pot). So I figure we'll just take her and the family to Lucille's BBQ House again. Love dem ribs!



Zi zian,

Ricky
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ViveViveVive


I wish everyday were 05-05-05! Then I wouldn't age a bit and years from now, I'll still look like I'm 14!

Today is a very special day because the title of this blog has two meanings! Firstly, "ViveViveVive" kinda sounds like you're saying "five-five-five," but really fast. Secondly, "ViveViveVive" could possibly mean "LiveLiveLive" for all my Mexican homies who are celebrating their five of May! You know who you are. If you don't, just say the name "Hubert" and you'll know...

Anyway, Disneyland kicked off their 50th Anniversary celebration today! Too bad I couldn't go because I had a job interview!!! Yes, and funny story too.

So earlier this week I got a call from the HR woman who asked me to schedule my interview. Not thinking that I had ANYTHING planned for the week, because I never do, I said "any time." She gave me Thursday (today) at 2pm. So I went to schedule it into my Outlook calender only to find that, of all days, I had a luncheon with my big big boss for his 20th Anniversary to attend. But since the lunch was scheduled to end at 1:45pm, I figured it was enough time to get back for the interview.

So today, I went to the luncheon. It so happened that the chosen restaurant was all the way across town and by bus, it took 30 minutes to get there. And at lunch, it took forever for our food to come. Long story short, by the time lunch ended, I had 15 minutes to get to my interview. My current boss offered to give me a ride.

But wouldn't you know it? We hit every conceivable red light. Then, after my boss dropped me off at the front of the building, I ran to the elevator. The doors were just starting to close when a security guard yelled my name. So I turned to answer, but I saw that he was calling out to his friend of the same name! And that's when the elevator doors shut.

Condensed story shorter, I got to the interview with 2 minutes to spare.

Well anyway, the interview went pretty well. They're going to interview some other external candidates before making a final decision.

I've got a lot on the line with this job. If I get the job, I'm splurging and buying the new iMac G5. If I don't get it, I'll settle for the Mac Mini. Either way, I'm switching to Apple.

BTW, it's Psyman's birthday today. If you see him, wish him a nice day.



Life begins anew!

Ricky
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Life Should Be Simple


Oy vey. This past week crawled along.

I'm trying to keep things on the downlow because nothing is set in stone, but I'm possibly very close to getting a full-time permanent job with benefits and the whole shabang. Right now, I'm still a temporary employee hired through an agency, working in the same department and under the same manager as Mother Routes. But one of the employees, Co-worker Mike, on the other side of the floor is leaving the company to go to grad school. Therefore, the head honcho boss approached and notified me when they were posting the job and kept following up until I applied for it. He's a really nice and great and funny boss.

But I don't want to say too much in case I don't get the job. Here's hoping...

Anyway, because of this job thing, I've felt more at liberty to spend money; and spend I have at an alarming rate. You remember that thing Amazon.com? Yeah, perhaps I shouldn't have started up on internet buying because now I can't stop. Well, I bought the Lemony Snicket DVD at Circuit City on Tuesday, but found that it was $10 less on Amazon. So I bought it from Amazon, but had to buy something else to get free shipping. I ended up spending $40. Well at least I'm saving money in the long run.

I've got some big purchases coming up. I'm getting a Mac Mini at last (I have been waiting for Apple's new OS, Tiger). I'm also interested in buying a mini DV camcorder because I figure, what good is a Mac if I don't edit video? And if I get this permanent job, I may have to start making payments on a new house. Yeah, you heard me; a freakin' whole house. We'll talk more about that if this whole thing actually pans out.

Maybe it's all these goings-on that are making me feel all squarmy in my skin. And yeah, I realize this blog was written all shittily, but whatever. I'm all squarmy. Cut me a break.



Just wanting some kibble,

Ricky
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A Ruff Sunday


Man, driving into LA is such a bitch.

Speaking of bitches, I saw Bark! The Musical today with K-mart. But firstly, about that drive (I just can't resist a nice segue).

I was ready to go so very early because for some reason I woke up really early. But I told K-mart to be ready by 12:30pm (the show started at 2pm). Well, because I'm on this very lenient low carb diet, I found that right at 12:20pm, I had to take an urgent dump. So that left me leaving late and backtracking to pick up K-mart late. So we got a late start.

Then there was traffic on the damn 60 freeway as freakin' always. And then I didn't really know where the theater was, so we kinda went down the street until we saw it and then we parked quickly and had to run to the theater (which K-mart hated me for) and made it just in time. In New York, you could just catch a subway and wham, bam, thank you ma'am, you're there. In Los Angeles, driving sucks.

Well anyway, about the show. It was great! The whole show is essentially sung, save for two monologues which are hilarious. The songs are really fantastic. When they're not funny, they tug at your heartstrings. One dog sings to his master that he's not afraid to be put to sleep and asks to be held while he closes his eyes (it's the only song that's made me cry). Another dog fantasizes about being an astronaut and flying away from the tree that he's bound and chained to. There's a part during that song where the dog, leashed at his collar, marches forward determined to not be held down, yet he doesn't get anywhere. It was a really powerful site to witness. The actors and actresses were all great and K-mart and I met them after. They all just walked by us like we weren't there and when we asked for their autographs, they were all shocked that we wanted them. I guess not many people stick around to meet them, but that's one thing I like most about seeing live shows. The fact that you get to meet the cast after.

My only complaint about the show is that there isn't much of a story to follow. The show is basically a bunch of songs about what dogs do. I guess it would be something you'd see if you were at a doggy day care and dogs could talk and sing. If they string the songs together to tell a simple story, it could become as big as Avenue Q.

Well it's a nice little show that's thoroughly entertaining and I hope it makes it big. Then maybe I can cash in on these autographs!

Big thanks to K-mart for going with me! I had a great time.



Whizzin' on stuff,

Ricky
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My, My, My, All That I Am is Ever the Same


Life's unexciting. It's work work work work work work work work work work and very little play.

Speaking of a play, just about everyone is going to see K-mart as the Queen Munchkin in her school's production of Wizard of Oz. How perfect is that? This'll refresh everyone's memory of the Wiz del Oz before Wicked. Then, this coming Sunday, K-mart and I are headed down to Hollywood to check out a show called Bark! It's the story of six dogs (played by humans) in a pound, singing about their lives. I read really great reviews for it three or four months ago, but no one was really interested in seeing it with me. I'm all willing to take a risk and see a no name show, but others are a little apprehensive about that stuff (especially when tickets are $40). But K-mart, fresh from her theater-hopping bonanza in New York, was willing to go; so we're going. I'll report back on how the show was.

This past Tuesday, I picked up the new Rob Thomas solo album and it's really awesome! I always liked Matchbox Twenty stuff, but I never bought any of their albums. I figured the radio plays out all their good tunes anyway, so why bother? I wasn't too thrilled about his first release ("Lonely No More") because it sounded like a Ricky Martin tuner. But then I heard him perform his next single ("Ever the Same") and knew I had to run out and get the album. That song is just too awesome. And I'm glad I got the album because most of the songs kick butt.

I'm a couple chapters into the book Life of Pi. It's pretty fantastic so far. It actually reads like a college term paper. The main character gives us thorough explanations to things of faith and humanity. There are so many quotes that I want to pull from the book because they're awesome and well thought out.

If you happen to see Princess Karlita passing by, wish her a happy relaxy birthday!



Fallin' to pieces,

Ricky
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Trucking Neighbors


Just a few days ago, I received a phone call at home just as our doorbell rang. On the phone was our neighbor from across the street. He called to complain that the alarm on our truck was going off at the moment and that it had been throughout the previous night. He sounded annoyed and frustrated, yet calm, but stern, but still, I didn't really like being bitched at like that. At the door was our other neighbor complaining about the same thing.

Our truck usually sits in the garage, but since we're trying to clean house, it was out on the driveway. Yes, I know that our truck alarm is way to sensitive.

For instance, one day I had to drive the truck to the train station. When I got to the platform, big eighteen wheelers would drive right by where our truck was parked and set off the alarm. At first, I didn't know it was our truck, so as everyone turned to look and bitch, I joined in. Then I realized it was our truck and through a red face, I kept up the guise of hating whomever the truck belonged to.

Moral of the story is, something has to set off the alarm. Unless there were big mother truckers roaring through our tranquil little cul-de-sac, I'm fairly certain that the cause of the alarm were the two or three neighborhood cats that, get this, belong to one of the neighbors who bitched at us.

These freakin' cats are always at our house. Sometimes they dig up our yard. Sometimes they sneak into our garage and meow ALL FREAKIN' NIGHT until we open the garage (and leave it open for a while) and let them out. Sometimes they have sex or something in our backyard and catfight like hell (seriously, it sounds like a 10-foot 7-inch woman clubbing a newborn... and liking it).

Long ago, we were afraid of my brother's room because if you sat in that room for a while, during the night or early morning, you would hear a slight jingle from a bell coming from a dresser near the window. This freaked us out for years. We were also told (and now I know it was a joke) that the bells are the spirit of a dead Chinese man wanting us to help us find out who killed him. Eventually we found out that the neighbor's cat wandered through our backyard and on the wooden structure next to my brother's room and wore a bell on its collar. Mother trucking cats.

So, we were fine with silencing the truck. We unplugged the entire battery until we were able to bring the truck back inside. But I think we need a long term solution. How's this? I'll buy a shotgun and wait for the cats to show up on our driveway. Then, put a nice amount of shotgun shells into their furry little heads. That definitely sounds like a better solution since shotgun blasts are less annoying than car alarms.

Psychotic,

Ricky
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