November 30, 2007

  • Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I want to say I’m thankful for my Mom and Dad, thanks to them I had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving mini-vacation.  Since I go to Disneyland on an almost weekly basis, then work sometimes more then 8 hours during the week I figured I should just take it easy.  Got home on Wednesday evening, and the only time I left the house was to go to Thanksgiving Mass with my Dad.  That’s it!  Didn’t step foot outside the house for the rest of the time until Monday when I went back to work.  It was wonderful, I slept until 10ish or so and then watched some TV … read … or went back to sleep.  God it was wonderful!!!

    This Sunday though I’m going back to Disneyland for our MiceChat Toys For Tots drive.  I always participate every year at the local mall, but now it will be part of my Sunday trip out to Disneyland.  Other then that my next trip will be on the 15th to celebrate a friends birthday.  Oh, and next Saturday my Sister is going to treat me at some beauty salon.  Last time I went I really liked the results …

    Now this time I’ll hopefully be able to keep it up.  I’m not a girly girl, and before this makeover I hadn’t really given a damn for about five years.  I just went into the salon, told the lady I hadn’t had anything done to my hair in five years … and to just go nuts.  She did and I liked the result.  This picture, hard to believe, is three years ago … and I recall I had to get up an hour earlier to get my hair done in the morning before I went to work.  Let’s hope this time the results are similar … well I hope at least.

    Oh, and I didn’t share the Halloween picture when I went to Mickey’s Halloween Treat on Halloween!  Plus I actually went on the Sun Wheel for the first time (Sun Wheel = great, big, giant ferris wheel).  I was scared for my life and did a little hyperventilating at the start, but eased into it and found it to be somewhat enjoyable … when I wasn’t imagining plunging to my death on this circular monstrosity.


    Here’s our group with Mickey and Minnie.

    We had to get a picture with the Queen!  Oh, and Cruella is “Tinkerbell’s” sister … and they both work at Disneyland … very cool!
    Other then that I’m pretty much just focused on work.  One of the big projects my particular group is in charge with is the historic Ambassador Hotel, where Robert Kennedy was assassinated.  It is all gone now, except for the Cocoanut Grove which will be used as the main auditorium for the High School and Middle School.  Now we have a local historic conservancy group on us about not having preserved the hotel itself.  Obviously this was the site of an important piece of California and political history, yet why leave almost two big city blocks of unused spaced … unused.  The only purpose the hotel served was for filming and rotting away, not to mention that Donald Trump was the previous owner before and would have probably knocked the place down to build condos or something.  I personally do admire a lot of the historical architecture that is around Los Angeles, and hate to see some of it go – but I feel that the Learning Center (combination of Elementary School, Middle School and High School on the same campus) complex we will be building is a much better use for the site.

    Obviously the original hotel would not have been habitable in its old state, what with the asbestos exposure … parts of it falling apart … and not to mention the obvious issue of not being up to code since we live in a state that is prone to earthquakes.  Personally I am excited to be part of this project and look forward to see the school completed – which will also have a public park on Wilshire Blvd. dedicated to Robert Kennedy.  Hopefully in the end everybody (or almost everybody) will be happy with the result.

November 21, 2007

  • I’ve been up to …. no good.  Wait.  No, actually I’ve just been working my ass off … at work.  Things are busy, but things have been getting so hectic I’m thankful for these holidays that make my work week shorter.  I went to celebrate a birthday not too long ago … and I love how the picture turned out!

    Nothing like going to Disneyland and enjoying a nice day out with friends and their family.  I also used Windows Movie Maker for the first time and made a little video.  I have to admit that I know the pictures came out rather pixelated when I uploaded it to Xanga … but it shows that I think I’ll stick with Ulead from now on.  But, here is the video of my year of MiceChat Memories 2007 for all of you … enjoy … and see if you can recognize me … LOL!

October 23, 2007

  • Damn I had a FANTASTIC weekend!!!!  Went to Disneyland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!! 

    Friday I went because in May I bought tickets to “Mickey’s Halloween Treat” for my sister, a friend, me and one of my friends.  We had a blast trick-or-treating around California Adventure … and watching kids hopped up on sugar dancing the night away.

    There I am with my friend Margo in front of the candy corn “A” that makes up the word California in front of California Adventure.  She was so cute dressed up like a pumpkin with the Mickey ears!

    On Saturday I went to meet Judi who had my CHOC Walk stuff for Sunday.  In case you don’t know CHOC stands for Children’s Hospital Of Orange County, and our online forum raised money to benefit them – along with a fun walk through Disneyland and California Adventure.  I took no pictures on Saturday, but it was such a fun and easy going day with some good friends.

    Sunday I woke up at 3:30 am to be in time for the walk.  We were to meet up no later then 5:43 am so we could line up and get a good spot.  This was my first time participating so I didn’t understand what a good spot meant until we were halfway done with the walk and I saw the herd of people waiting to come in to start their walk.

    Here is our group ready to start the walk … notice it is still DARK!  I so wanted to go to sleep at this point, and had no problem with just plopping myself down on the floor for a snooze!

    Notice that it is now daylight, and we are about to start!


    One of the people from our group dressed up like a Storm Trooper, and everyone wanted a picture with him.  It was great, and he held up the MiceChat signs in every picture so we got lots of free advertising that day.  The other person is indeed dressed like Indiana Jones, he has ridden that ride over 1,600 times!  I call this the George Lucas moment.  LOL!!!  Oh, and the Storm Trooper did the whole walk (5K) in that outfit.  We took a few rest stops along the way but we did it!


    Me and a good MiceChat friend having some fun on Space Mountain.  This picture makes me laugh so much!


    For those that missed it here is a section of “It’s A Small World” in all its glory.  Sunday was the last day to see the “normal” version of this ride, and you won’t see again until 2010!  It will open up again in a few weeks with the holiday version, then closed for 9 months so they can do some major overhauling.  It seems that the every day person has gotten a bit “heavier” and so boats get stuck on certain parts of the ride, or should I say they bottom out.  There are no cameras inside any part of the building so nobody knows something is wrong until boats stop arriving at the loading docks.  So to prevent this from happening they will be making the pathway deeper.  It’s a shame to acknowledge that people are fatter then before, truly this is an epidemic we need to overcome.


    And here we are at the end of the day.  Obviously I’m not in the picture, but this is the group I spent most of the day with.  It’s so much fun to meet up with different people and get along based on a common interest.  This was a great way to end the day, riding the Disneyland Railroad and getting the caboose all to ourselves.

October 3, 2007

  • This past Sunday was beyond great, so it was a let down getting back to work after so much fun the night before.  “Finding Kraftland” is more then a movie about Richard Kraft’s eclectic collection, it is about the endearing relationship he has with his son.  The premiere I was able to attend was part of a film festival that took place at Universal CityWalk in … Universal City, and Richard along with his son (Nicky) greeted us and were fantastic hosts througout the whole night.  Plus, how can you not like someone who owns Pee-Wee Herman’s bike!

    One of my friends who entered the contest and won invited me, and we decided to meet up at my house and enjoy a day of attending the Downtown L.A. Grand Ave. Festival … and then heading off in the Metro Rail to Universal City.


    This is on the rooftop of a restaurant that was behind us while waiting for the bus that would take us Downtown.  We found it amusing.


    The sky was beautiful this morning, and made for a wonderful picture of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.


    A couple of Russian musicians on the water fountain courtyard of the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion.


    An artsy picture I took in one of the hallways at the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA).


    A picture of a picture with a picture of a picture on it … ??? … I have no idea what to name this really.  Contemporary art makes me laugh sometimes.


    One of the side areas inside The Biltmore Hotel.  This place is just gorgeous!


    One of the vending carts at Universal CityWalk, I love the colors in this shot.


    Here’s Richard Kraft (on the far left) with some of the folks from the Disney website I participate in.  Amazingly he recalled everyone’s entry, such a great guy!  Later on in the evening he mentioned that he’ll put together a day next spring to have a BBQ at his home with us!  I can’t wait!


    On the right is Nicky Kraft (with that snazzy vest), next to him Stacey Aswad – she is the host of the film.  Both are fantastic people as well.


    Here is our group at the after party which took place on one of the rooftop areas in Universal CityWalk.  As you can see we had a blast, and after this we went down to Tony Roma’s for a nice dinner … our group ended up closing down the restaurant.  I have to admit that I really enjoy being a part of this great online group, everywhere we go it feels like we are just a big family!

September 28, 2007

  • Well I’m just glad that work is over and the weekend is here – and that I got paid!  I work for LAUSD, and if you’ve been watching the news around here we have been having some troubles with our payroll system.  Some folks get paid, some underpaid, some overpaid … and a few unlucky ones don’t get paid at all.  Let me say that not getting paid isn’t good since most of us get paid only once a month, so we count on our paycheck more than other people would (that’s my opinion though).  Thankfully I haven’t had any problems so far, and I hope not to have any in the future.

    Recently the Disney fan website I belong to had a contest to go see the premiere of “Finding Kraftland” at Universal CityWalk.  A movie about a Disney fan who purchases Disneyland memorabilia, let me say that it looks more interesting than I make it sound.  Well, I didn’t enter the contest but a friend of mine did … so on Sunday I’m going to the premiere and after party and I’m looking forward to that.  Of course I’ll be taking pictures, as well as attending the Grand Ave. Festival in Downtown L.A. before hand.

    For now I leave you with some pictures from a CD my cousin dropped off of my Uncle’s (Dad’s older brother) funeral.

    From left to right:  Cousin Judy, my baby brother (Santiago), Cousin Johnny, Aunt Rosa and me.  I’m not smiling since I was rather conflicted when they took this picture, because one would usually smile for a picture … yet we were at a funeral … so I decided to just not smile.

    This is one of the framed pictures they had of my Uncle at the funeral.  This is my favorite one they had of him there, and with everybody talking about the good memories they had of him it is hard to imagine that he is gone.

September 27, 2007

  • As October approaches, I cannot help but read some of my favorite poems over and over again …

    ULALUME
    edgar allan poe

    The skies they were ashen and sober;
    The leaves they were crisped and sere –
    The leaves they were withering and sere;
    It was night in the lonesome October
    Of my most immemorial year:
    It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,
    In the misty mid region of Weir –
    It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,
    In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

    Here once, through and alley Titanic,
    Of cypress, I roamed with my Soul –
    Of cypress, with Psyche, my Soul.
    These were days when my heart was volcanic
    As the scoriac rivers that roll –
    As the lavas that restlessly roll
    Their sulphurous currents down Yaanek
    In the ultimate climes of the pole –
    That groan as they roll down Mount Yaanek
    In the realms of the boreal pole.

    Our talk had been serious and sober,
    But our thoughts they were palsied and sere –
    Our memories were treacherous and sere, –
    For we knew not the month was October,
    And we marked not the night of the year
    (Ah, night of all nights in the year!) –
    We noted not the dim lake of Auber
    (Though once we had journeyed down here) –
    Remembered not the dank tarn of Auber,
    Nor the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.

    And now, as the night was senescent
    And star-dials pointed to morn –
    As the star-dials hinted of morn –
    At the end of our path a liquescent
    And nebulous lustre was born,
    Out of which a miraculous crescent
    Arose with a duplicate horn –
    Astarte’s bediamonded crescent
    Distinct with its duplicate horn.

    And I said: “She is warmer than Dian;
    She rolls through an ether of sighs –
    She revels in a region of sighs:
    She has seen that the tears are not dry on
    These cheeks, where the worm never dies,
    And has come past the stars of the Lion
    To point us the path to the skies –
    To the Lethean peace of the skies –
    Come up, in despite of the Lion,
    To shine on us with her bright eyes –
    Come up through the lair of the Lion,
    With love in her luminous eyes.”

    But Psyche, uplifting her finger,
    Said: “Sadly this star I mistrust –
    Her pallor I strangely mistrust:
    Ah, hasten! -ah, let us not linger!
    Ah, fly! -let us fly! -for we must.”
    In terror she spoke, letting sink her
    Wings until they trailed in the dust –
    In agony sobbed, letting sink her
    Plumes till they trailed in the dust –
    Till they sorrowfully trailed in the dust.

    I replied: “This is nothing but dreaming:
    Let us on by this tremulous light!
    Let us bathe in this crystalline light!
    Its Sybilic splendour is beaming
    With Hope and in Beauty tonight! –
    See! -it flickers up the sky through the night!
    Ah, we safely may trust to its gleaming,
    And be sure it will lead us aright –
    We safely may trust to a gleaming,
    That cannot but guide us aright,
    Since it flickers up to Heaven through the night.”

    Thus I pacified Psyche and kissed her,
    And tempted her out of her gloom –
    And conquered her scruples and gloom;
    And we passed to the end of the vista,
    But were stopped by the door of a tomb –
    By the door of a legended tomb;
    And I said: “What is written, sweet sister,
    On the door of this legended tomb?”
    She replied: “Ulalume -Ulalume –
    ‘Tis the vault of thy lost Ulalume!”

    Then my heart it grew ashen and sober
    As the leaves that were crisped and sere –
    As the leaves that were withering and sere;
    And I cried: “It was surely October
    On this very night of last year
    That I journeyed -I journeyed down here! –
    That I brought a dread burden down here –
    On this night of all nights in the year,
    Ah, what demon hath tempted me here?
    Well I know, now, this dim lake of Auber –
    This misty mid region of Weir –
    Well I know, now, this dank tarn of Auber,
    This ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.”


    ALONE
    edgar allan poe

    From childhood’s hour I have not been
    As others were—I have not seen
    As others saw—I could not bring
    My passions from a common spring.
    From the same source I have not taken
    My sorrow; I could not awaken
    My heart to joy at the same tone;
    And all I lov’d, I loved alone.
    Then—in my childhood—in the dawn
    Of a most stormy life—was drawn
    From ev’ry depth of good and ill
    The mystery which binds me still:
    From the torrent, or the fountain,
    From the red cliff of the mountain,
    From the sun that ’round me roll’d
    In its autumn tint of gold—
    From the lightning in the sky
    As it pass’d me flying by—
    From the thunder and the storm,
    And the cloud that took the form
    (When the rest of Heaven was blue)
    Of a demon in my view.


September 25, 2007

  • Nisei Week 082607 063 After the events of this past weekend I played russian roulette with online searches. I found out that I could take a retreat to Krishnamurti’s home to study his writings in Ojai, I picked some dates in November so I’m hoping they are open so I can get away from everything for a while and just concentrate on Krishnamurti’s writings to clear my mind and come back renewed.  I’m really looking forward to this retreat though and unplugging for a
    while to just unclutter my world a bit.  I think everybody should that
    once in a while, just go off for a weekend on their own … it is
    amazing what you will discover about not only yourself but so many
    things in your life.

    Oh, and by the way all the pictures that are coming up in my posts are ones I’ve taken around town on my many travels around the city of Los Angeles … and Disneyland.  I saw this on a building in Downtown L.A. with a lot of other grafitti which just looked spectacular to me.  Yet I really identified with particular section of it since I feel like that sometimes, although I never really do that in my life … not even when I’m by myself.

    On the horizon though I’m really looking forward to watching the new Resident Evil movie.  They aren’t the greatest, but I really enjoy the games … and even moreso the books!  Zombies are yummy!

September 23, 2007

  • I’ve been noticing recently that I wake up at odd hours of the morning with a million thoughts in my head.  My voice whispering them all at the same time, sounding like a tunnel full of echoes in my mind.  Does this happen to anybody else or is it just me?  It has gotten to the point where I am considering telling my doctor if there is some medication for this because it really makes it hard to sleep or even go to sleep!  Sometimes I wonder about myself. 

    And now that I recently turned 33 I have to say that I still don’t feel like an adult, and I actually think that the reality of being an adult is truly just a myth.  I look around at others who have a family, married and taking care of kids – then I think how in the hell do they do that?!?  Seriously, HOW????  Even at my age right now I don’t feel like I can handle something like that, and have no idea how others manage it.  Then it got me to thinking, growing up you are never really taught how to live at all.

    I feel like there is some class I skipped or something in becoming an adult, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.  There are days when I’m at work sitting in my little cubicle, looking out at the city … and I wonder how in the hell did I get here?!?  How did it all happen?

    Oh, and is it me or has anyone else noticed that the older you get the faster time seems to go by!  I was cleaning out my car the other day and found a certificate I got from work in 2003!  2003!?!?  I’ve been with my current “company” for 4 years now and it doesn’t feel like it, so I guess that’s good … but damn where did the time go.

    So I guess that’s it for the rambling, I’ll be around here a bit more often now … but first I’ve got to check out all the new Xanga stuff going on … which I note is quite a bit.

September 15, 2007

  • The world needs better phlebologists NOW!!!  It’s been two weeks since I went to get a slew of blood tests (six vials) done for my physical and my left arm is still bruised and purple – and that was from her second and BEST attempt.  My right arm was saved slightly after a few minutes of her poking and prodding – that’s when I told her just to stop and try the other arm.  These people seriously don’t know what they’re doing, because honestly if they stabbed me things would go much better when getting blood from me … they are that BAD!  I’ve already asked my insurance if I can switch labs, because I’ve never had problems like this before with other labs.  If I get nothing then I’ll have to switch to Kaiser … which I really don’t want to … but I don’t want to break out in a cold sweat and feel nauseous every time I have to give blood for my tests.

    It has gotten to the point where I actually praise and practically kiss the feet of those that do a good job!  I even let their supervisor know how much they rock … and next time I go they’re gone.  But at least in a few days I’ll see my doctor and they will let me know when they can take the rod and screws out of my leg from my surgery last March.  Can you believe that it has been over a year that I broke my leg???  Although I’m on the fence wether I want everything out or just the screws – mostly because they say if I break the leg again I’m screwed if the stuff is still inside.  With my track record it would probably happen.  Lesson to learn here folks … roller skating isn’t for everybody … it literally cost me an arm and a leg to learn that lesson.

    Moving on … I was looking forward to the White Stripes concert this week, only to find out it got cancelled due to a band members anxiety.  *sigh*  I can understand … but damn if it isn’t upsetting because I was so looking forward to this!!!  Oh well, maybe next time … I hope.

     

September 6, 2007

  •  I’ve been busy as usual.  My new job has provided me with many hours of … ummm … entertainment.  It is stressful, but I really enjoy it and the people as well – plus the freedom that I have.  I also haven’t been to Disneyland in the last few days, even though I did volunteer at the 1/2 Marathon this past weekend.  It was too hot to go out and enjoy it, so I went to the park to eat dinner … enjoy one of my favorite shows … and go home.

    This month I’m looking forward to attending The White Stripes concert with my brother.  Love the band … and can’t wait!  October though seems to be way more promising.  I’ll be going to two nights of Mickey’s Halloween Treat and the unofficial Gay Days weekend!  Check out the logo that parodies the “Year Of A Million Dreams” that Disney is promoting this year.

    I think it is VERY creative … so if anybody is going to Disneyland during the first weekend of October … watch out for the sea of red.  I was sad though that I didn’t get to be at the Goth Days weekend in August.  My Dad had a minor heart procedure and figured it would be better to stay home for the next few weekends then go to the park and leave him alone with my Mom. 

    I just wish I had more time to relax, but it seems like it will be something that I will need to shoehorn into my schedule some time down the line.  It seems like when I think I don’t have anything going on for the weekend … something comes up.

    So … be on the lookout for more Disneyland videos from me real soon … plus a big announcement is on the way!