Scrubs Love


Ever since Scrubs premiered, I have been obsessed with it. It's amazing how each episode can make you laugh your ass off and then at the end make you feel good, sad, or make you think.

So when Scrubs announced late last year that they had teamed up with the composers of Avenue Q to write songs for a musical episode, I nearly shat my pants.

They had some very typically-Avenue Q'ish songs like "Guy Love" and "Everything Comes Down to Poo" which I really enjoyed. But when it comes to musical music, I'm more attuned to strong power ballads that I can hum in my head all day and still get chills. The clip below is just that. Recorded on VHS and transferred to iMac with the help of my new camcorder! I still need a name for the little guy.



And now, I must pack for Florida!


Planning for tomorrow,

Ricky

Forward Motion


A new year and a new toy.

After months of wanting and research for a digital video camcorder, I tossed out everything I learned and bought one of them sons of guns. For the longest time I had been looking at a Panasonic camcorder. The main features I was looking for were widescreen recording, firewire output, and analog to digital output. The Panasonic ones always stood out to me, but only the higher end one had the analog/digital pass through.

With the upcoming trip to Florida, I decided to just buy one already. So at Best Buy today, I saw one that looked good, had a good build, and wasn't too expensive. So after months of researching the Panasonic cam, I suddenly felt that it wasn't such a nice camera. This one from Canon, the Elura 100, just popped out at me. Plus, it had widescreen recording and firewire. I went home to do some quick research and found that it also had the analog thingy. It was meant to be. With a Best Buy coupon, I got the price down to $350 and now it is in my possession! I hope I don't get too much buyer's remorse. After all, it is last year's model.

But anyway, this means that I'll have some nifty videos to spice up this here blog (thanks to YouTube)! It's the natural progression of things... Text > Pictures > Video > Killer Robots



Broke,

Ricky

Coulda Been Snowboarding


This is it; the first post of the year. And if things pattern themselves after last year, this is probably the last post of the year.

But seriously, while I sit here warm from the windy weather, I'm just thinking how crappy it is that I didn't go to Mammoth. The Oblongs, The Addams, and whatever I call the Martinez family all went to Mammoth on Thursday with Timotei, Mother Routes, and Nick Burns. I didn't go because of the Florida trip in 17 days. For that trip, I'm taking six days off. I didn't want to ask my boss for more days.

But get this, my boss asked me where Timotei went and I told him. Then my boss shrugged his shoulders at me and asked, "How come you didn't go?"

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I could have gone. Oh well. No snowboarding, nor Wink Mafia, nor Camp Koopa, nor Sardines, nor fun party games. But see?! My boss is the freakin' best!

That's okay. I owe it to Link to defeat the evil darkness and save Hyrule.


Keeping it short,

Ricky

No Ears For New Years


Let me explain the title so I can get that out of the way. For about three months now, my right ear has been clogged. I woke up one morning to this discomfort and it hasn't let up since. I was hoping it would go away naturally after my cold was gone, but it hasn't. I even had to watch the Lion King musical out of one ear. The show was good, but sucked that I couldn't really hear all that well.

Mother Routes has a little earwax scooper that she used to pick my ear. But first we had to drop some Hydrogen Peroxide in my ear to dissolve and moisten some of the wax walls. And MAN, the amount of wax chunks that she pulled out was amazingly disgustular! But there's still more blocking my eardrum, thus the title of this blog. I still can't hear!

Okay, now to things more pressing. Chrismas was great this year! Our second annual Cousins Gift Exchange went off really well. Though we really should make a guessing game out of it. And we also had our second annualish White Elephant. I brought a Spongebob Bubble Bath kit. Em chose it and HATED it. She even flat out told me "RickyRoutes, I don't like your gift" to which I replied, "Too bad. That's the point of White Elephant!"

I know. She's only six or whatever age, but I didn't care. It was Christmas!

I got good things from my friends too. Angel Wing Jasmine sent me a giant family sized umbrella that opens and closes by button push. I've always wanted a giant good umbrella and finally I have it! She also sent me Excite Truck for the Wii and a mystery gift still in the mail. Erico Suave and MacArthur gave me a bunch of Wii stuff! I'll be sporting my Wii sling bag in Florida.

Have I not said anything about Florida? I can't remember if I did or not. Erico Suave, MacArthur, Angel Wing Jasmine (first time!), and I am going at the end of January! It should be a blast!

Today, I'm headed to The Oblong's house for a New Years party which will consist of much Wiiing and DSing and Hawaiian BBQ goodness. I also have to write my traditional yearly wrap up letter to myself, which I got it say I'm getting tired of writing. But I'll keep this tradition alive dammit!


Forced to write,

Ricky

Torturing Agent J

Non-Listless Xmas


So then would it be just a "List Xmas?"

This year's Christmas season, I'm happy. I feel like I've got a spring in my step (and I still haven't completely kicked a cold). I don't know what it is, but I just feel merrier this year; excited for Christmas. In years' past, I've kind of felt this lack of enthusiasm towards Christmas. I think it was due to a lack of gifts at midnight to open (on account of being older). But these days, with a job and earning money and whatnot, I think it's more about giving. And that makes things exciting. I can't wait to see people crack open the gifts we're giving. Plus our second annual Secret Santa and White Elephant spice things up even more.

So at the beginning of this season things didn't look so rosy. But that's the way it always begins. You start out with the ungodly task of creating Christmas lists. And since I'm such a difficult person to shop for (I tend to buy anything I already want), I have to create lists for some of my friends to gift me. Usually our family just hands out money, but this Christmas (and a decision made late in the month of December), we decided to get gifts for most people. 'Tis better to rip open an item, rather than a red envelope.

So Timotei and I set out to get gifts and we did mighty well. Roughly half of our purchases were from online (Amazon mostly), which made things so easy. The rest we found away from malls, like Best Buy and Toys R Us. I can't guarantee everyone will like their gifts, but the thing I love about giving is that they can't say anything bad if they hate it. I love the whole "grin and thank" fakeness. It's what I live for really.

Yesterday we celebrated Xmas with Father Routes' side of the family and I really couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Sure it was essentially the same and we just gathered around the TV and played Wii Sports all night, but I just feel we got closer as a family. Ain't that all warm and cozy?

I've got presents to give! Stop on by.



Ho! Ho! Ho!

RIcky

Knee Jerk Retraction


It's way late at night and I have work tomorrow and I'm wide awake for reasons I'll explain later. But a couple of thoughts are running through my mind.

I feel that if there is a God, He or She is exercising the "I created you... I can take you away" mantra. Not so much with my life, but just my left knee.

In the past few days, I've felt really wobbly on my left knee. During just the simple act of walking, I'll find myself weak in the left knee and reacting fast to regain my step. I'm like a malfunctioning Asimo robot. Also, on the bus the other day, during the simple act of sitting down, I bashed my left knee into the seat. The thing got bruised and hurt like hell.

Then just tonight, during the simple act of going to the bathroom, I tripped on my jammies and stumbled forward, hitting my left knee into the door.

Now do you see why I feel God is trying to take away my knee? He/She must want to create some sort of three-legged chicken (that's a crack at my hyper chicken legs). Well, I won't give them up without a fight! These are my legs and my legs only!

And I'm up and fully energized because we went to Starbucks where I ordered a Caramel Mocchiato (spelling?). In fact, I ordered two grande cups for Timotei and me. When the barista presented our order, she made two grande Caramel Fraps. Freakin' cold drinks on a freezing night! Me not wanting to start trouble, just decided to take it and live with it. No one else around us was claiming the drinks, so it must have been ours. I had also second guessed what I ordered.

So right when I took a sip, the barista sets two more drinks on the counter; two grande Caramel Mocchiatos. Fuck! We didn't know what to do. So we just took both drinks each and walked out of the store. No one seemed to be claiming any of the drinks, so we took them. And yes, I drank 3/4 of both of them. The Mocchiato sucked, but the Frap was delicious. But yes, too much coffee!!!

One thing's for sure: we can never show our faces at that Starbucks again.


Bok bok bagok,

Ricky
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In The TWiilight Zone


So this is a little late! I've been, how do you say, ah yes, preoccupado.

Yes indeed fellow travelers, I did pick up a Nintendo Wii a week and a half ago, on the 19th. We left a wedding banquet in Los Angeles and bolted down to our local Target where we had read there were 60 consoles available. It was around 11:30pm when we jumped in a line of 40-something Nintendo fans/geeks. At that point, it looked like we were golden.

However, as the night progressed (SLOWLY), people began to join their friends in line in front of us. This made me very nervous, especially because the line wasn't growing much longer behind us.

Our plan was to play Nintendo DS games all night, but I found I could not enjoy the games because I was so worried about not getting a game system. It was also miserably cold out.

So after so many slow slow slow moving hours and having to hold my piss forever, we were handed tickets that ensured a system. We were around the tail end of the line; the early 50's. So we did cut it close.

Well anyway, we bought the Wii and eventually six games. I'm enjoying the hell out of Zelda and Rayman Raving Rabbids.

I love my Wii and hug it everyday. That doesn't sound right.

But in other news, Erico Suave, MacArthur, Angel Wing Jasmine, and I are going to Florida in January! It's been two years since I've gone and this will be Angel Wing Jasmine's first time! Sweeeeet!


Transforming into a blue-eyed beast,

Ricky
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Wii-minus 6 Days and Counting


Is it dedication and hardcoritude that a bunch of us plan to camp out overnight to buy the next-gen Nintendo Wii console? Or is it just plain nerdulation? Well whatever the case, that's the plan this Saturday night.

I've been jonesing to get my mitts on that piece of machinery since it was announced as Codename: Revolution. You can bet your jamooty that come Sunday morning, I'll be playing Zelda for a month straight. Heh, we'll see how that goes.

In other news, I learned from Agent J (and Rionheart) how to solve a Rubiks Cube. Go figure... you don't just spin it back the way it was spun to return it to organized fashion. You have to solve for layers by using semi-complex algorithmic sequences. My best timed time is 3 minutes 52 seconds with much room for improvement.

Will I improve? Probably not. To me, time isn't important. The real thing is being able to actually do it. After you do it once, it's always the same (unless you learn another way of doing it, which would be way complicated). So no, I probably won't improve much, but only because I don't really care. And did you know that old ass Rubik's Cubes are $10??? Freakin' expensivisimo.

Stay tuned for our S-Wii-eepover coverage. Should be geektastic!


Stuff,

Ricky
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Disneyland Overflow


Today was my company's annual Family Day, held this year at Disneyland. We got there a little after opening and collected massive Fast Passes. But after lunch, we met up with more family with annual passes. The problem was that the three of us who got there at opening (Mother Routes, Timotei, and me) finished the west side of the park and didn't intend on returning. But with more people joining our group little at a time, we found ourselves repeating a lot of the stuff we'd already completed.

Eventually we ended up as a group of 23, which made it impossible to get anything done. But we did do some cool things. We visited K-mart as she played host for Buzz Lightyear. And we even posed for pictures on Tower of Terror.



Click the picture for a better look.

I couldn't stay long however. I originally had plans to see Sister Act in Pasadena with Erico Suave and MacArthur. So at 6:30 in the evening, I left the group and met up with my friends and we drove down that crappy 5 Freeway in bumper to bumper traffic. I felt the most claustrophobic in Erico Suave's VW Beetle. The traffic was entirely too frutrating to bear.

But we made it with plenty of time to spare. I had eaten a big lunch buffet, so I wasn't hungry, but the drive made me incredibly thirsty. The Pasadena Playhouse has nothing really around it (unlike the Pasadena Civic Center which I mistook it for). So I was forced to buy their $3.00 bottle of Aquafina. Then during intermission, I found myself starving and bought a $3.00 cookie and $2.00 bag of M&M's. Crap.

The show was pretty good. A lot of good new songs, but something seemed off compared to the movie. Anyway, I was so tired from running around all day at Disneyland that I was falling asleep during the show. One thing that was cool, we saw legendary composer Alan Menken there (he wrote the music for the show). I wish I got a picture or his autograph, but he was always so far away. Oh well, when I tell this story again, I will have met him and now we're good friends.


Exhausted,

Ricky
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