Angel Wing Jasmine Gets Honeymoon 2.0

Two straight up full days at Disneyland. Wow. And diarrhea to boot.

Angel Wing Jasmine and hubby Coxsmith came down for a makeup honeymoon of sorts, but on a budget. They were down here for two days of Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. In order to save up money for the big Florida trip in April, Erico Suave signed us into the parks and I offered to have them crash at my house for the weekend.

I'm not sure if they felt it was worth it though. Leaving Disneyland at 1:00AM each evening to drive half an hour to my house is not fun. They may have felt it would have been worth the money for a hotel. But they are welcome whenever they want.

Anyway, at Disneyland, with Erico Suave and MacArthur, we had so much fun. Just check out these pictures as photographic proof!












In that last photo, Chip was a freakin' perv. He kept grabbing at my sides making me bust out laughing. By the way, I got diarrhea by drinking an Iced Mocha and eating two Dole Whips. Never again.


Still exhausted,

Ricky

The Nose Knows Zit

Have you ever had a zit grow inside your nose?

I hadn't either. Just checking. Because it's gross.



BAH, who am I kidding? I created this blog entry because I got the most peculiar zit growing on the inside of my nose. Very peculiar in fact that it makes it impossible to pick boogers from my right nostril, which is fine by me because I never ever pick my nose. Ever.



For real. I nevers.

Why are my nostrils so ginormous then, you ask? Genetics. Seriously, my nostrils are so big, a group of spelunkers can go spelunking in them.

Speaking of spelunking, I'm so good at segues, we got free movie channels this past Thanksgiving weekend (and in fact we STILL have them!) and we watched a movie called The Descent. It is about 6 women who go cave exploring and then get caved in and these cave monsters that see like cave bats kill them in the cave. It was very very good until the ending which SUCKED.


Realizing that this would probably have worked better as a "Random Nation" post,

Ricky

Random Kingdom Nation #1

I've always wanted this blog not only to have long drawn-out thoughtful passages, but also short random toss-away posts of the weird and ridiculous whateverthings I come across in my everyday life and manage to snap pictures of.

This is the first of one of those posts.

Take a look at the sign below from a local boba shoppe:



Now it takes carelessness to misspell the word "Special." However, it takes pure talent to misspell it twice within the same word!

Unless someone can explain what Sepical Stew is. Perhaps they meant Septical--as in septic tank? That does sound "Yuumy!"


Original G Tea,

Ricky

Check 1 2 3 - We Got Traffic on the West Side

I. Am. Pissed.

I tried to get out to The Block in Orange to see Bolt with Erico Suave. However, fires happened.

Suddenly we are surrounded by fires! The whole world is burning before our eyes. And watch, the religious freaks will say that the fires are a result of God's anger towards all the anti-Prop 8 protests.

I went with Erico Suave to help protest Prop 8 last week in Laguna Beach. It felt really good exercising my Freedom of Speech rights. I really wanted to go to a protest today in Los Angeles, but couldn't find anyone to go with.



Not that I would have gotten there anyway with all the freeway closures! Sheesus Cripes!

So I first got stuck trying to get down to my folk's place to drop Timotei off. The 60 freeway was jammed, so we took surface streets-- along with everyone else and their mom. It took about an hour.

Then, with the 57 freeway shut down due to Brea fires, I attempted to go up Fullerton Road all the way into Brea and then into Orange.

But it took me 40 minutes to drive about 2 miles towards Fullerton Road. Once I had the street in sight, of course it was backed up. So I tried to jump ahead by going parallel to Fullerton and then cut across Colima Road. But that street was even more jammed. Realizing that I would be sitting on that street for another 40 minutes before even starting my way up Fullerton (which was even uglier), I surrendered. I called up Erico Suave and cancelled plans and drove to the folks' home.

And then I had trouble cancelling my online MovieTickets.com purchase. I told them that I could not get to the theater if I tried because of all the freeway closures and the fire. They told me that in order to cancel online ticket orders, I had to present my credit card in person at the theater. WHAT THE FIRE???

I bitched at them and after being passed up two levels of management, some lady said that she could try to credit my account by phone. Of course, she was able to, if you can charge over the phone you can refund. Stupid shitches! I will never buy from MovieTickets.com again. If they hadn't refunded me my $13.50, I would have bitched to AMC Corporate anyway and they would have done whatever to make me happy. I would have won either way, so I wasn't worried. But the gall. Go down to the theater to process a refund... such a retarded rule. And I hate using the word retarded. But it was seriously retarded.

Oh well, I can do a P90X workout now.


Calming down and relaxing,

Fuming

Th-Recaps

It was a busy time, the past 6 days.

Firstly: Hollow Weenie
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Barack'd! The event was fun and scary. Not sure if it was because it was Halloween night and that people would rather dress up than go to a theme park, or maybe because it was a Friday evening, or maybe it was because it was supposed to rain that night, but the park was not crowded at all.

We went through all the mazes. The most impressive maze for me was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze. It was the only one that was hands-down terrifying. The maze itself looked just like entering the house from the movie. And to have this huge chainsaw-wielding leather-faced maniac jump out from every corner really gets the blood pumping. But the Freddy Krueger and Jason mazes were awesome too! There's a part in the Nightmare on Elm Street maze where a giant stroller sits in a room. Then suddenly a strobe light goes off and Freddy Krueger's finger-knives are inches from your face. Really cool. I hope to make this an annual event!

Secondamundo: Steals Mannequin
On the day of the Jack's Mannequin concert, I wasn't really feeling like going to the concert after all. I generally get this feeling that I'm way too old for these kinds of things. Just seeing all the kids at these events makes me feel really old. But in the end, I'm glad I went.

As always, I was running late. When we got down to the pit, well, we couldn't get into the pit because it was packed to seemingly capacity. We had to settle behind people standing on the stairs that led to the pit. I hate being stuck behind people who don't get into the show. They just stand there and block the way. They kill the vibe. And that's exactly who we were stuck behind; people who were content standing elevated on the stairs and not letting anyone through. And don't even get me started on the fucking annoying ass couple in front of me. Girl was obviously dating the guy for his cash because he was ugggggggers and a huge geek!

But right as Jack's Mannequin started playing, the crowd in the pit lurched forward as always happens, and Rionheart forced his way through the stair-crowders. MEG, Agent J, and I latched onto him and zoomed into the pit! We landed behind a group of short chicks, so our view was AWESOME!

And the concert was awesome too! JM played most of their songs from their first album and new album and also, as a surprise, Something Corporate's "Cavanaugh Park!" Yeah, the entire thing Barack'd!

Thirdriht: Barack'd the Vote!
Woot! Woot! We did it! I can't believe it's been 4 years since I wrote this rant about Bush winning a second term. After reading through what I had written (I honestly don't remember writing that stuff), it's kind of scary how much of it came true. Of course, I'm not quite so sure that John Kerry would have been such a great choice, thinking back. At the time, yes, anyone would have been better than Bush. But it's interesting. If Kerry had been elected, we wouldn't be here today with our first black president. And the feelings of hope in the air, it's just so damn refreshing. I love it. We even got a cake to celebrate!



Hopefully I don't look back on this post and think, oops. I feel pretty confident that Obama will do us good. I mean, when we are so down low in the crapper, there's only one way to go-- UP!

The best thing about the election being over... Sarah Palin's hyper-psycho-religious candy ass can take a hike back to Alaska! Don't come back you uneducated dumbass bitch!


Tres!

Thr-icky

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

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

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 85º.

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

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

"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