Some of the good things in life are FREE!!!

woo hoo...what a great way to start the holiday season. Starbucks was givin' out free holiday flavor coffee the other nite. unlimited peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes...mmmmm. free cookies too!!! OH BOY!! a barista wanted to challenge me in a game of zigity. it's like UNO but more fun. i lost out to some kid, and i had the winning card too...but as a consolation prize---the barista gave me the game for free!! but then, i gave it to nancy...b/c that's the kind of guy i am. and then i got free tix to see Blade Trinity and The Life Aquatic w/ Steve Zissou. i'll have to cut it close, as Life starts at 7:30 at 68th St (running time: 93 min)...while Blade is at 14th St at 10pm. Since i'm a fan of Steve Zissou on Friendster, Aquatic is my first priority. Sorry folks, Simone is the lucky winner to join me to both movies...but as a consolation prize, click here. or i'll invite you to gmail...whatever. i also cleaned out some of my friends in some limit texas hold 'em, that was nice...which was quickly spent on some presents for my friend Jim's birthday. We went to Maloney and Porcelli's last nite...the filet mignon was to die for and so were the glasses of johnny walker black. it was a bit pricey but that's what happens when u drink booze. but no hangover today...that's why i'm up so damn early. stupid internal clock. it turned out that we all got him the same present...he had 3 copies of Spiderman 2 and 2 copies of Hero. well, now i have a copy of Spiderman 2 and Hero, i'll get him something else...know any games that are comparable to Halo2 that's for the PS2? LMK. i'm on LI right now...had to get my new phone...which for some reason i can't activate until monday...b/c cingular customer service isn't open---how stupid is that!!!

i'm seriously losing it...i kinda diggin' that eminem song and then there's this song that i liked that turns out to be kelly clarkson's new song---i thought it was sarah. watchin' it now on VH1. rachel perry is friggin' hot. have you seen those tattoos on her low back...good god. she's a dirty chick too, apparently.

ok. bye.

So Thanksgiving was ok. went to LI as always...did 3 dinners...had an awesome dinner at the Waldrons. had to work on friday which really sucked, threw up that morning and picked up some pepto before working and then having our rehab group get chewed out for not giving adequate care--that was fun. the weekend was ok, met up w/ nancy after she worked--she was a bit late and i was about to go home. went to blue 9 on 3rd ave and 11th...burgers are just like in and out's---it was awesome. sunday, nanchingching and i went to see 42nd Street, which is soon closing apparently. it was good---i recognized a lot of songs---made me want to tap!! we went to this italian restaurant called cara mia on 46th and 9th--the food was good, i got some veal scallopine---but the service sucked, i begged nancy not to give a good tip--but she's a kind soul, what can i say? she met ed/vick last friday, we had dinner (vegetarian place...don't ask) and had drinks. according to ed---she's nice. NOW people, let's not repeat the whole stephanie thing and tell me that you don't like her until after we break up. i'd like this info up front please. thanks.

this week has been hard, after those abbreviated weeks of november. december is upon us and i almost missed rudolph!!! thanks to simmy, who text messaged me and let me know it was on. apparently, i missed a christmas story last week--but that's ok, TBS will show 24hours of it on xmas eve. started doing a little xmas shopping, got the list, checking it twice. i want the bose sounddock--i can already hear the laughs from my dad and sis. the inner circle has picked this year's secret santa---which jo/grinchy almost wanted to cancel--it's a tradition that has broken the decade mark and she wanted to end it. NICE. so i finally started to do the NYCares Secret Santa thingy---sent out the KMart Giftcard that one kid wanted...now just trying to find the stuff the 3 y/o kid wanted. been checking out amazon, easier than buying and then going to the post office.

went to the tree lighting yesterday w/ co-workers---ok, i can now scratch that off the TO DO list. 3 hours of standing...it got better as the show started, but i could do nothing else but heckle the people around me, that was the best part. it was nice to see it lite up---got a hint of x-masy feeling--but couldn't hug the nanchingching b/c it's a secret to our coworkers...i had to pretend i was taking my train home, just to sneak back to penn station and see nancy home. it's fun, i do confess---it'll be hard when the office party rolls around next week.

ok---so damn office party conflicts w/ ocean's 12 and the life aquatic---i guess i'll have to do it saturday. damn it!! and i have b-day party's this weekend that conflict and i feel bad having to drop one. it blows, if only i can have that time thingy that hermione has in "azkaban"--yes, i bought it and it's my fave of the 3. also bought the rundown and hellboy and lost in translation---i never will buy new dvd's (except "azkaban") blockbuster had them 3 for 25 bux!!! i just have to be patient w/ spiderman2---ok, so i'm gonna get ROTK extended version new---but that's a given.

you guys have to check out the 6 min preview of the ROTK extended version---it is MINT. WICKED AWESOME!!!


OH YEah!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO JO!!!
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMYBOY---on the 4th.
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SOMEONE ELSE I CAN'T SAY IN FEAR OF BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSES.


I keep forgetting shit...i got laid off from my other job--every holiday season the chiropractor / boss lays people off--i got the axe this year. 5 patients are no longer coming back as a result---they would like to see me privately, but i can't ethically do it--damn it!!---so screw you GCPMR---and for the future---avoid Grand Central PMR at all costs...i'm no longer there.

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!!!!

So i gots me a nice poker chip set courtesy of Costco...a nice 500 11.5g piece set w/ nice things. the next purchase...the 3 fold 8 person poker table. saw a sweet deal on ebay for it, 65 bux. so poker? my house? right now!!

i'm not too happy w/ my nycares secret santa people...no cuteness whatsoever...the kid just wants crayons, nemo and stitch...it was written on some xmas form letter that must have been sent to santa, pere noel, kris kringle, topojijo...whatever!! and the teen has the cohones to ask for a 50 bux gift certificate to k-mart--so she can buy gifts for xmas. right. how come my kids weren't as cute as simone's??? i'll scan the pics and you can all mock me.

so tonite, makin' some nice cheese takin' bad pics. i'm supposed to hit joisy tomorrow for a christening to which i am one of the godfathers...but apparently, no one wants to bother w/ picking me up or telling me how to get there via mass transit.

alright will con't later.

long time no read! what to say, what to say. well, this weekend...the filipino association of LI are crazy enough to pay me to take photographs at their annual dinner ball...i go from guest, to one time MC to photographer...movin' on up!! hey, we flips sure know how to throw our money away.

it's my dad's and my roommate peachy's b-day tomorrow (not the same age though)...if you see them please wish them the best. so i'm actually gonna step out for a while and grab a drink...and on a school nite! shame on me. and i'm also a god-dad, so i'm going to my godchild's(weird to say) christening, where i will undoubtedly be struck down like nazi's messing w/ moses' post-its.

in other news, i'm totally gettin' into this salsa dancing thing...i'm hellbent on not making an ass of m'self or nancy next time we hit the dance floor. does it mean have to purchase puffy shirts and wear bling...i think not, i'm gonna bring jcrew flair to the copa. prob is that salsa class is at the same time as rock climbing class...these are the problem's i have to deal w/. i am taking tai chi, the instructor is so-so but as long as i get the movements down--i'll be joining the old folk over in astoria park, while the dogs are running around like madmen--no doubt.

speaking of dogs, all pitbulls and their owners must be destroyed...ok, maybe the owners. my friend and their baby were attacked the other morning...so if u see a white pitbull w/ brown spots walking around the astoria area w/ some dude--feel free to follow them home and report back to us, people will take the appropriate action.

it's t-giving already? what the hell is going on here? funny thing is that x-mas decor has been on sale since halloween. what is wrong w/ us as a people...apart from the fact that we have howdy doody as president. i just can't wait for all the xmas shows...someone please inform me as to when they start. speaking of funny---did you all catch that dude that tried to convert lions to christianity? did this happen in the US? b/c only something that stupid could happen here...unfortunately, the lions wanted to convert the man to poop.

Yeaaa!! i'm back from cali. it was really nice and relaxing. we did some hiking in runyon canyon park, where everyone had a dog...made me miss the jubs/duncs and wish they came along. we also drove up to malibu and did a nice short hike on the water. it was quite chilly. apparently, it was really hot over here...in the 70's. it was in the 70's in LA too, but a bit windy. it was nice catching up w/ the deirdster. she was basically telling me not to screw things up with nancy. she laid out my entire dating history, as sad as it is...and gave me some advice that i must adhere to if i am to survive.

so i'm on long island right now. i never got my absentee ballot, so i've got to vote here...this is how much i want bush to lose...even though we know kerry will win this state, i should show my support anyway. also, my dad is giving me a printer/scanner/copier thingy, hopefully it still works. and hopefully, i'll also get to see nancy tonite...even if i don't, i'll see her tomorrow...she's invited me to the copa...and since i've been taking those salsa lessons at work...i should probably put them into practice. if only i had hips and an ass.

last nite, my friends steve and karen came to pick me up at the airport...i had a few boxes of in and out burger with me, so they were more than willing to do me the solid. so we went to mickey d's for some fries and in the drive thru...a cow dressed as a witch was hiding behind the window...apparently for some trick and treats. well, we did have certs in steve's car, so i rolled down the window and asked her if she required assistance. she gave me the "shhhhh" gesture, as i was ruining her plot put the scare on the 12 yr old ronald mcdonald in the window. so i asked her if she wanted some candy...my new rotund friend nodded and held out her bag...apparently, candy supercedes the need to scare a clown. so i opened the little certs box and dropped 4-5 little candies in her bag. they weren't even individually wrapped. her parents will not let her eat those things come candy check time, that's for certain. and then we let her off to continue w/ her halloween festivities...and she ate the young ronald mcdonald right out the window. i guess she asked for "trick!"

i'm going to hell.

Tuesday's a good day...Tuesday night was even better. Thank you for your attention.

Did You Ever Know That You're My Hero?


Wow, i really liked this movie. i really got into it, it was a really beautifully shot film. some did not like the spinning, the wire-fu fighting. i think that overstylizing is what you have to expect and i was moved a bit too, i confess. it was only like 90 minutes long, but felt like 2 hours...the pacing is a bit slow but the eye candy made it tolerable.

afterwards, me, simone, david and henry went to korea town and had din-din at this cool restaurant...korean comfort food, as it was pretty damn chilly out. i had soup and tried these pancake type thingys. all of it was good. david cautioned me about the addition of too much salt in the soup, b/c it tastes like stagnant water at first. eventually i could have floated in the soup, there was so much damn salt. i screwed up. i'm sorry, i was a soup virgin.

go 3 hours of sleep last nite. i had a really awesome time with this girl, nancy, who just started working at bellevue last week. she wanted to go to happy hour to celebrate her first week, and no one wanted to go, so it was just me and her. we went to paddy reilly's and then failtes, did the irish thing...and then when were packing a mean buzz...caught some 1/2 price sushi at oyama. don't remember when conversation had just flowed so smoothly...next thing we knew it was after 1am...she need to catch the train to babylon. so i stayed w/ her at penn until a little before 3am to see her off. told her to call me when she got home...we ended up talking until after 5am. nice. anyway, let's see how this turns out.

actually, dragged m'self out of bed to do some tai chi. missed 2 classes and i was pretty out of it. they add a lot more moves and it turns out we're doing this long form that's 1/3 of the basic 24 steps that i've learned before. i think that's why i was into hero a lot, i liked the fluidity of movement in the martial arts and i was thinking tai chi the entire time. i've got to hit the sack early, got pilates at like 8:30am...don't ask me why i'm going. just feel like i should get active again after being sick. blah.

What's wrong with this picture?

so i had a pretty rough day at the office...if the patients weren't making me drag them out of bed...stupid nursing students and aides were just being stupid. i thought my head would explode. i tweaked me back a little...doing maximum assist transfers on 150+ lbs. people from wheelchairs to beds will do that...so i went to this chinese massage place on E 4th st. man, went for the full hour this time...so good. i got the same asian lady and she beat the crap out of me...digging those fingers in my mid back and scaps...i wanted to cry. it was that good. so i'm super duper relaxed right now.

i think i'm finally getting over this bug i've been carrying around...plus i remember that a patient gave me this saltwater remedy that i shoot up me nose...clears the sinuses right up. i think i really annoyed the roommate last nite. i downloaded the sheet music to "like spinning plates" and tried playing it w/ the live version...like 100 times. i've got it down, but i think it was too much b/c i heard a door slam. very passive aggressive around here.

the office 2 hour special is on...still one of the funniest shows i've ever seen. it's a 3 years later follow up...too funny. i miss my box set...apparently it still exists at a former co-worker's house...she said she was gonna give it back, but was denied. damn it!!! she's lucky she's hot, or else i'd...i'd...who are we kiddin', she's hot and she could do whatever she wants.

how more days 'til cali? too long. oh, and i'm kinda crushin' on a filipina girl...which isn't supposed to happen. what is wrong w/ me?

in important news...i received a johnnie walker medallion, apparently i'm now a member of the striding man society...i'm being rewarded for consuming exorbitant amounts of scotch. we should actually go to one of these johnnie parties sometime.

yes. i am too cool.

so how bad are the yanks sucking right about now?

why am i still sick? i would like to be over this sometime in the next few days, or at least the next week...nothing can ruin my trip to LA

yes---steve, karen, pater---you will get in and out burgers when i get back. can you say 4x4's?? i can, and it's already making me sick.

apparently, it's supposed to be awkward when a patient happens to be an ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend. the pseudo-job is up in arms in juicy gossip this past 2 weeks. it's not a big deal...really.

finally saw garden state...i knew i liked it b/c i didn't talk at all through the movie. the soundtrack is amazing...that slow version of such great heights...so good.

my power suit is still sitting in the cleaners...it's been over a month, i should really pick it up...how lazy is that?

ok. so student nurses just started at the hospital, very nice. plus a cute volunteer...everythingz coming up milhouse!

one of my patients wants to set me up w/ one of her friends, the last time this happened...actually wasn't too bad, only the timing was. but apparently, she's crazy. where are the normal women in this city?

i want a new phone. but everything is flip. can't do the flip. don't like the flip, never will. upgraded my plan...i keep going over my minutes, having to pay a ridiculously high bill this past couple o' months. so that's how they get ya.

so i may be getting a french bulldog. b/c i need another dog. but if the patester decides to go west...jubei will be solo. and we can't have that. though they were quite curious about moses today...a hamster or gerbil---what's the difference? anywayz, peachy put it in a ball and let it walk around the house. the dogs went retarded for it.

got me a massage at this place on E 4th St...b/wn 2nd and thoird. 24 bux for 1/2 hour...felt so good. until she started messing w/ my feet...you just don't do that. yes, i am going back---gotta do the hour. my scaps stopped clicking...this is very important.

finally. bernie hits a homer in the 7th.

yeah, i'm worried about the election. tried to read that electoral college thing on simmy's blog, too many words. i read somewhere that history may consider the Iraq war the beginning of the end of the American Empire. that's nice. in the end, i don't care who wins this election---just get our boys out of there, AHORA!!!

i left my camera at jim/winks place...i had this picture of this dead donkey at this petting zoo for nina's 3rd b-day. okay, it wasn't dead...but i was telling everyone it was---and ultimately, isn't that what it's all about...scaring little children. oh, and llama's don't come when called. weird.

i'm tired of rambling.

ok.

bye.

THE NON-FANTASTIC FOUR

have you seen this? It's the so-called "Fantastic Four"

it's craptacular.

in other news. on sunday, pater and i were doing laundry, the place was packed and we were waiting for machines. so i walk over to someone who was taking her clothes out of one machine...this tiny lady of latin descent (i am refraining from using any derogatory terms here, b/c she really pissed me off) comes over and cuts in front of me and starts putting clothes in the machine...i say "excuse me!! this is my machine", she doesn't even look at me and replies, "me, aqi" a few times. i stood there flabbergasted, trying to really not punch this lady in the throat. so i walk away, fuming, wishing death upon her and her entire family...i tell this to pater, who can feel the vibe of my anger--veins popping and everything. so she goes and buys some hubba bubba gum, chews it and sticks it in the woman's wash (it was set to hot, baby!!!)...hee, hee. imagine this stupid old lady's surprise as she sticks the stuff in the dryer!!! i wish we could see her face, but alas, we did not. it didn't make me feel better either--only skinning her alive in front of her grandchildren and stapling the skin back on inside out would probably do the trick.

ok, in happy news...i'm hoping to get an audition for this. so wish luck upon me.

ok, so i bought this showerhead from waterpik yesterday. i've been inspired to take showers from now on. it's like raining in your house...best part, it's handheld detachable---better part, you can focus pressure in the middle for a rinse setting. absolutely orgasmic

so how cold was it last nite? usually i'm resistant to cold, but as i walked little italy i had quite the chill. and all the san gennaro festivities had just closed down, so we ended up getting pasteries from ferrara's. a cannoli here, a napoleon there, rainbow cookies (oh wait, we didn't get those---DAMN IT!!)

so pater and i took in the trash can sinatras show at the bowery ballroom last nite. the opening was this fellow scot, roddy hart, who was really good--very david gray, badly drawn boy. frank reader of the trash cans joined in a couple of songs, which really psyched everyone up. i was surprised to see that it was packed out--the bowery is an awesome venue. we got there early enough to snag a balcony table closest to the stage--it was that kind of concert where you just want to lounge out, drink and enjoy. and the trash cans did not disappoint, they played the songs i liked on the new album and put in some awesome classics that i hadn't heard the first time i saw them. they actually sounded, 10x better too in this place. in their encore, they played my email addy---genius i was, so you know i was pretty excited. i stole a poster that was left outside the men's room, my apologies to the dope who would left it out there.

i had KFC. i don't know why i do...i get sick each time. the oily taste was in my mouth 'til at least 3am...when i got home i was so wired w/ my coffee from ferraras, that i rocked out on the keyboard for like an hour....just couldn't sleep! thank god the rain is gone, time to enjoy my sunday. woo hoo!!

so my sister's dog bit pater...2 puncture wounds on her right arm...lacerations on both. they weren't deep but we went to the ER anyway just to be safe (despite much protest from the patester) was probably the shortest ER visit ever...we couldn't of been there for more than an hour. luckily, peachy, our resident physician's asst., was already home to provide first aid and was kind enough to drive us to the hospital. doc said to just let it drain, did some irrigation and gave her a tetanus shot, a script for antibiotics and sent her on her way. our dog park friends, stephen (pronounced steeeeeeve) and karen (pronounced kkkkkkaaaren, like a sleazy bo-hunk) came by the hospital and took us out for ice cream (coldstone, of course). we even walked all the dogs together when we got back...if she wanted to kill the dog, i would have let her. i told my sister that if he even looks at me wrong, i'll deliver the dog to her in ziplock bags. dog is going home tomorrow...and they better rush their asses.

i think i'm going to take a mini vacation halloween weekend...can't say where yet though involve parties are already i the know. OK...so know i'm like the only trashcan sinatras fan in the tri-state area...but if any of you know anyone who would like to go for free---LMK. i'll go by m'self if need be but wouldn't want to. check out their site for a sample. so yalitza, one of the exes, called last nite...she works for jet blue now (read, must get the hookup AHORA!!). and she told me that she's expecting and a wedding a la shotgun is in the works...the dude is filipino (read, his parents are going to kill him) and apparently, i started the trend for her being into the flips (read, anyone interested in dating a flip, email AHORA!!) playing poker this weekend...which also means, calling all poker players!! we need to play again soon...my house--either tourney style hold-em or old fashioned dealer's call--whatever!!! anyone catch that world series of poker last nite? i missed the final table, but EPSN 1 thru 5094 will be putting on heavy rotation for sure.

does is feel like thursday anyone?

so i'm babysitting my sis' dog, miyoki. howz it goin' you ask? well, first day was fine, next day---i get a call at work from the roommates sayin that he's going crazy and won't let them leave the apt. peachy got bit and taylor was trapped in his room a la panic room. i told them to just ignore him, tell him to stay in a stern voice and just leave.i found out from the peachster that taylor was yelling and barking at the dog the whole time---no wonder the dog was upset--the last thing u do w/ a scared dog is antagonize it by barking back...of course when i got home, he was barking up a storm and i just put my hands up and called him and he came over---no problemo. then he hung out w/ the other dogs at the run---i even had all dogs in my apt last nite (read, pater was not feeling well) w/o incident.

just call me...the dog whisperer.

so he's here for one more nite, and i win the wager w/ my sis about being able to socialize the dog w/ others, why? please see above. i am a dog...i mean god.

holy shit...hans is on IM. ok. bye.

OMG. i feel like i'm going to pass out right now...not from being drunk mind you, though i'm heavily buzzed at the moment. for the last 5 hours and change, a handful of us were engaged at butchering every good song known to man at the congee village tonite!! my rendition of creep was superduper spectacular and ended the evening w/ a little ob-la-di, ob-la-da...the food, i can't remember it was good or not--i'm sure it was good but after a lot of jack and cokes, i really didnt' care. happy graduation to peachy the roommate and elaine (please bang on a glass door and yell ELAINE!!!) her friend---awesome partay!!

RESIDENT EVIL: A-CRAP-OLYPSE

like we didn't know. but yet i gave it a chance as it wasn't directed by the hack of a director, Paul W.S. Anderson-of recent aliens v. predator fame. is it better than the first one? well considering i'd rather watch the floater in my toilet after chomping on mexican than watch the Resident Evil Uno, yes. plus, milla is hot. the movie is so laughable that i had to add my own commentary a la mystery science theatre 3000 throughout the movie to the annoyance of many moviegoers but to the pleasure of mi compadres. the plot plays like escape from new york as our heroine and a "we hope to see you die real soon"military team search for some little girl (who sounds closely like the little girl computer in the first one) trapped in her school. the gigilo (sp?) from deuce bigelow and the mummy fame is in it and the guy who played scott farkas (the kid w/ yellow eyes, so help me god yellow eyes!!!) from a christmas story is in it--w/ a really bad russian accent i might add. and then there's this hot chick who wants to be milla sooooo bad and can actually kick ass while wearing a short skirt w/o giving up the goods yet cannot control the intonation of her voices as she butchers her lines---you'll see her again in those straight to video soft porn movies like Erotic Culinary School and Bedroom Secrets 18, the Seduction of Stacy. anyway, a lot of shaky cam makes up for the fact that they could not afford a martial arts trainer and there's this really dumb big ass monster that's a cross b/wn leatherface, the alien hunters in critters and the cenobite in hellraiser w/ the chattering teeth. and remember the guy w/ the accent is always, ALWAYS, the bad guy. this flick is only saved by some really stupid dialogue and the token black guy pimp who screams "GTA mutherfucker!!!" as he runs over zombies in his car, he's got the best lines in the movie--which only supports the reason why mtv only plays hip hop videos anymore--black guys are funny.

don't miss my karaoke performance tonite at congee village in the bowery as my roommate is throwing her graduation party there. yes, OH GOD YES, will i be drunk. oh, and i need to play tennis so please, please play w/ me somebody!!! and i went to that bouldering/climbing wall at the north meadow recreation center, 5 bucks gives some really good climbing...there's a layback, a chimney and this one route where you can only use your hands in the beginning and the end of the route. and they have a semi-cave which is not as cool as the one at the 59th st rock wall--but still much better than anything they dish out over at the rock. but we will be changing the routes soon as a pal is taking a routesetting class...which i'll take as soon as i join the damn parks dept.

tax free rules!!

so it's been a while since i've actually shopped for clothes...those of you who know me--my wardrobe rivals most women's. the first step was to get rid of old shite, which was a lot--then bought stuff to replace them. thought i'd try something new but i ended up going to j crew and the gap anyway...went for color. anyway, enough chick talk.

the rock wall at the parks and recreation gym on 59th and 10th is da baaamb!!! i'm thinking of dropping an extra 200 bux a year just to climb there...but i get access to all the parks stuff--tennis, volleyball, gym, pool etc...and thinking about quitting the old gym, as i'm paying 78 bux a month to just climb.

bend it like beckham is on...thank god for HBO, i can't stop watching this movie! chix playing soccer is hot. that and underworld...a movie that i despised when i saw in the theatre, which is now much more enjoyable on cable.

ate sooo much damn food this past week. i don't know how i've been able to hang on the upside down routes at the rock gym packing all these burgers, hot dogs and booze.

random thoughts.

1. i haven't posted in a real long time and am doing so only to make simone happy---.

2. i'm in the market for another dog...i know, i know...but mini schnauzer's are soooo cute...and one w/o the ears cropped...even cuter. i like to tell people that dogs are primer for children...but who are we kidding, i'm not wanting kids for a long time yet...dogs are much more fun.

went to north shore animal league glad pater didn't come...she would have adopted all of them, i kept my cool and just came in to look. looked at kittens too...too funny, very young asian chick employee was trying to chat it up with me---yeah, hi...i could probably be your dad--ok, your dad's co-worker who's trying to get his job and get him laid off.

3. really, really obsessed with the interpol album and wish simone would send me the new one already.

4. go to the real music store 49 cent songs...4.99 albums, already bought some random songs and the trashcan sinatras new album in like 8 years. i like it, i like it a lot...so much so that i bought 2 tix to them at the bowery in a couple o' weeks...i contemplated going by myself, but bought another one just in case...you never, never know.

5. went to this awesome rock gym on 59th and 10th...might have to drop the $200 bux to join. finally did the upside down traverse, i am truly hardcore. need to climb outside now.

ok...my internet has been down for over a weeek...i have back blogs to post. worry not. don't be hateful towards me.

it was simone's 53rd birthday on friday...she got a new hip and costco size package of metamucil. we celebrated at croxley ales, which i always here on the radio...some really good stuff there. she opened up her other gifts, which were 2 puzzles from the pate'ster and i---pretty wooden boxes, which is always the make of a fine puzzle. the revelry continued at lavagna where a circa boys don't cry robert smith served us and was stingy w/ the pepper mill. i had the rabbit which was the best thing on the menu. david/simone/pater opted for the fish...the snapper was d'lish...the striped bass, not so much. then we tried to go to chicklalicious which was, of course packed out, and then we just went to some dessert place and had some good gelato.

Lost
Labyrinth
Fascination Street
Before Three
High
The End Of the World
Lovesong
Inbetween Days
Just Like Heaven
Pictures Of You
Us or Them,
From The Edge of The Deep Green Sea
alt.end
One Hundred Years
The Promise

Encore 1:
M
Play For Today
A Forest

Encore 2:
10:15 Saturay Night
Boys Don't Cry


'nuff said

I mean...I think he raises a good question. And he is the Hulk, so maybe someone should get the ball rolling on this.

The Onion | Why No One Want Make Hulk 2? 

These are the Pixies...see how small they are. 

So this is LA early AM from up on high in Griffith Park, before the smog monster rears it's ugly head. I've decided that I would like to go visit De again...she's thinking Thanksgiving. OK.  

oh my god. the pain and suffering that is bellevue orientation. good news, i've been sneaking out by 2:30-3-ish...bad news, i had to 9:00-2:29/59 to sit through. luckily, i'm catching up on sleep during these sessions and i managed to take extended lunches and buy a new climbing harness and route tape for the rock wall.

got some paintball this weekend. going all the way out to scenic PA, to a wonderland called Skirmish. should be fun...nothing like venting any and all frustrations by shooting your friends with balls of latex. so i'm writing this from my old job and stupified that i have no patients scheduled and i'm still getting paid for being here! i love it!!

so the speakers from my TV blew, any suggestions for a new 32"-36" screen TV that's not ridiculously expensive? and i'm thinking of giving up my PS2 and just getting a real DVD player...i don't play any games on the damn thing and having to use the controller sux.

oh and i need color suggestions for what to paint the kitchen...so bring it on!! the roommate is thinking something in yellow...so help!!

up close & personal with the duncster 


ok...so i've gone over the edge...since certain people refuse to participate in the 1.95 deal at petco for pet portraits...i've taken it upon myself to make my own...and courtesy of ofoto
i will soon have masterpieces of the duncster and jubster. you've seen the jubster one..."when jubei attacks!"

duncan all scruffy lookin'---someone tousled his hair 

jubei is coming 

a blog that talks? what will they think up next? i hope that feel-o-blogger is in the works.

man, am i exhausted. threw my back out carrying a giant paint can on july 4th...that was fun. been helping pater out painting her soon to be new apartment which happens to be the first floor of my apartment. she'll practically have 2 places, as she's here most of the time anyway...we have cable, she doesn't.

lost at no-limit hold 'em at simone's, even funner!! but i did break even and that's what counts. but i think tournament play is the wave of the future. i'll host a poker nite very soon. revenge will be mine!! it really comes down to what's said in positively fifth street...when you play a woman, you can't think macho...if you have sucky cards, fold...don't call just b/c a chick just raised you!! lesson learned.

my dad came back from the philippines...car no more. i admit that it spoiled me and will probably have to get one. damn.

so not a lot of people like spiderman 2! too much talking apparently. i thought the movie is the best comic book movie ever made. last time i checked, there was a lot of talking in comic books...isn't that what the white balloons are for. i think there was even an issue of spiderman where he quits b/c he wanted a normal life. while superman was too perfect...batman too freaky----spiderman became popular back in the day b/c he was this angsty, awkward kid---who went through the same problems most kids who read the comic were going through---minus the whole radioactive spider thingy--which kinda complicates things more...and i think the movie portrayed that pretty well. what are comics but really cool soap operas, they both have nonsensical plotlines, inflated sexual tension and women with large breasts (the last 2 almost go hand in hand don't it). so if you haven't seen spiderman already, it's ok...b/c the movie already made a gajillion dollars and they no longer need your money.

bring on the batman i say!!!

is it july already? the 4th is almost upon us, meaning it's time for the annual "will i blow up a body part b/c of mishandling of pyrotechnics?" party at jim's house. to recap, last year there was a snafu where one of the fireworks didn't discharge properly and fired short at the pyro techs...being me, jim, rick and theo. what fun that was.

crap...i have to work saturday. but i get off on friday, where i think i will hike. woo hoo!!

so one of our patients passed away over the weekend. it was sad, we were talking to to her on friday thinking she was going home...next thing, she's gone. her husband stopped by today looking for the attending MD for an explanation...apparently the cause of death is unknown.

going to see dodgeball tonite, should be fun. still want to see farenheit 911 and of course, the pinnacle of the summer movie season...SPIDERMAN DOS!

my damn finger is still sprained...yeah, yeah, it doesn't help that i keep climbing...but it's not like i'm doing anything strenuous. it's becoming frustrating. i'm going to build up my other fingers so i don't have to use it anymore. i'm really, really psyched to do some outdoor climbing. apparently, i'll be able to shoot people in a couple o' weeks...couple o' pals from the rock climbing cult are organizing a paintball outing. i probably will shoot you even after i've been "shot"..or stand over you and pelt you until you submit like a little girl.

A Day at the Links

phew. i just got home from the 104th US Open at the beautiful Shinnicock (heh, heh, i said "cock") Hills Golf Club. it was a great day for some really competitive golf...sunny and very, very windy. we followed Tom Kite for the first few holes and then settled in at the 5th green grandstand and waited for the leaders to play through. got really, really sunburnt...only b/c i was manstyle and refused sun block...my friend ed, who was kind enough to invite me once again...thought he was super duper protected...but the diamond shaped burns behind his knees say otherwise. Retief Goosen from South Africa is this year's winner shooting a well earned -4 under par, while my boy Phil Mickelson, choked with a double bogey on 17 to end at -2 under. i have to say that this outing was so much more pleasurable than the Open at Bethpage Black a couple of years ago.

lines were few as was traffic...though, it really, really sucked to compete w/ hampton's traffic on the way home...took a good 1 1/2 hours but my brain didn't explode. luckily i had the ipod to keep me company as i developed laryngitis from belting out my versions of modest mouse and franz ferdinand songs. i admit that i'm getting really spoiled by having my dad's P.O.S. car...i drive everywhere now...even to the dog run, which is 5 blocks away. i was watching the new season of celebrity poker showdown...that gilmore girl is no joke!!! she really played into that malcolm kid. i want to play no limit hold 'em real bad...i only have nelson to blame...as we played tournament style at his house...and the book "positively fifth street" doesn't help either.

got to start training...simone is running this 5K w/ 80's bands...and convinced me to join her. but thanks to simone, i was able to indulge in numerous tazo thai chi latte frappachinos these past couple o' weeks. so there's much to be worked off.

ok. so i haven't posted in a while. so where to begin? started the new job at bellevue, that has turned out to be stressful as well as exciting. especially when a patient threatens physical violence upon you...all is well now, we've been having very productive therapy session. the only thing that stresses me out is the paperwork...which makes the old job look like easy. still at the old job, it's amazing. how busy i am there...i see more patients in that afternoon than i did in a whole days work there. but at bellevue...it's cake, 1 patient an hour, an outdoor excursion here and there and then teach one class, piece o' cake. and i'm off monday! Flag Day!!! woo hoo!!

so i'm 31 now...that day was a big suckaroo!! mom blew me off and "forgot" that she was gonna come out and take me to dinner. it was cold and rainy...no big surprise there. and also the deirdster didn't call me on my b-day, but that didn't upset me as there were bigger fish to fry. went to that little horserace the day before, called the Belmont Stakes and watched an awesome upset unfold...dropped like 60 bucks then proceeded to stress out real bad b/c it took me 2 hours to get home. so on the b-day, had some sushi and hit some golf balls w/ pater's friend rich on long island...so it wasn't a total wash out.

simone was kind enough to score me a tix to the curiosa festival...b/c i haven't seen the cure enough...but interpol is also playing, who i'm excited to see. my friend ed called and kindly invited me to join him for US OPEN sunday at Shinnicock Hills...we went to the open a couple o' years back in Bethpage when Tiger won! very, very exciting!! and i'm really wanting to play some mean poker, ever since we played tournament no-limit texas hold 'em at nelson's a couple o' weeks ago. i'm reading "positively fifth street", the history of poker and what not...but specifically the world series of poker at binion's horseshoe in VEGAS BABY, VEGAS!!! can you believe that i got a friggin' ticket for having a plastic cover over the rear license plate...WTF!!! i ain't paying that...i don't know what my dad is doing w/ that thing anyway...not like any camera is going to have trouble catching a pic of that car's license...seeing as it goes from 0-60 in 6...minutes.

so golf this weekend anyone?

COME ON IF YOU THINK...COME ON IF YOU THINK... 


YOU CAN TAKE US ON.

YOU MUST OBEY!!!!

ok, so i climbed last nite...wanna fight about it? it was ok...did the easy routes, worked on endurance. the fingers were heavily taped and it doesn't hurt that much today. the boys got haircuts...those pics is not accurate, i will post new ones if i can get that damn USB cable!!  

When Jubei Attacks 

ok. so i sprained my 2 right fingers last nite and typing 2 you left handed (what can i say, i'm talented). i was doing the brown route which has a 5.11a rating...meaning it's friggin too small to get both my hands on...so i'm trying to switch hands on this hold when i feel my ring and middle finger buckle (luckily no popping sound, which would have been real bad)...the brown is the 2nd last route on the wall before completion...i must finish it by the end of the week.

anyway, i'm home today, using up a sick day and enjoying my last week at the ole job. wanted to take thursday off, but life is funny that way. OMG, what a piece of crap troy. i wanted to leave sooo bad, but pater wanted to see any remaining ass shots of brad. and it was hot in that theater, i went to complain and didnt get free tix!!! they told me to go to another theater next door!!!

i'm considering going to see the nutritionist at my gym the super-size me people were there last nite, as if tolling my death knell...and i can't remember the last time i went to mcd's which is strange...i've been on this sushi kick as of late. yeah, so i want to eat better but i don't want to do those stupid diets...i'll cut calories and workout like the madman i am to burn them.

god it sucks to not use my hand...you realize i'm still gonna try and climb.

man, am i tired. this week back from vacation was rough. my patients said i've gone soft, my rock climbing has been sloppy and the mosquito feast on my body has begun. last weekend and through the week, i've just been riddled w/ bites, which all became huge and infected. a couple of days ago i felt real week as a result, so i took a benedryl last nite, which knocked me out at about 11:30. then pater calls at like 1:30 and i answered it thinking it was morning and she was having an infestation of mosquitos as well and it was frustrating her to no end. then she called back again at 2:30---felt bad for her but i was semi-conscious and drugged up to really pay attention.

so by popular demand, i'll working at my soon-to-be former job 2 nites a week. apparently, a lot of my patients have been complaining and threatened to not come back, so dr. c. asked if i would consider 3 nites...i said, 2 would be kind ideal, i still want my friday's and getting out of 3pm would be sweet...especially in the summertime. i get to save good spots for the bryant park movies!! woo hoo!!

spoke with jo last nite, wanted to check on how things are w/ the new babe, grace. james has been going through the whole jealousy thing. and her maternity leave is almost up. still have no inkling of fatherly instinct enough to want those family feelings i used to have when i was w/ stephanie. how scary would that be? suburban lifestyle, 2 1/2 children, dog...shoot me now.

ok...going to meet up w/ simone and gang for some din-din. was gonna go see kill bill vol. 2 again but i was given a patient at 6pm and there was no way to make there in time. had to bring the boys to the run of course...which was great. jubei was actually playing w/ another dog today...had to get them real filthy as tomorrow they're getting groomed.

want to see troy now...i didn't before, but now i do. damn that discovery channel.

12 Days and Counting!!

so i put my 2 1/2 weeks notice in yesterday. wasn't planning to do it until friday but the bossman called me on it, he wanted to know if i was happy there b/c apparently i've been flaky the past couple o' weeks...duh! i haven't had a vacation in 3 years...flakyness was inevitable. so i broke the bad news (for them) but did offer my services for the afternoon (since i'll be out of work by 3pm!!!). some patients were sad, one was really upset, which made me feel bad...only b/c she has really come a long way in her therapy and doesn't want to start over again w/ a new therapist. others want to pay me under the table for my services (i'm such the whore!)--but i'm only considering it.

that week away really screwed me up work wise...apparently, my hands have gone soft! and i'm getting bored w/ that damn climbing wall. i'm going to hit the wall at lincoln center methinks this weekend. oh and the boys will be getting their haircut this weekend...very exciting stuff i tell ya!! so i'm considering abusing my position in my final days here to ask out a couple o' patients--and calling this other patient who hasn't been here in a while to come in in the hopes of asking her out too...it really sounds terrible, i know--but hey, i haven't seen that girl i met in the dog run a month ago...which means she's married now w/ 6 kids and i missed the boat.

i just realized that i'll be 31 in 3 weeks. ugh...

good news everyone, bellevue hospital made me an offer...and i accepted, though details are still limbo as i have been playing voicemail tag with my new bosses. and i really thought i bombed that interview too. i have to say i'm very excited...yet quite nervous, which doesn't happen when it comes to work...haven't felt this jittery since school. this is the big time...what i've been waiting for. i think i will be starting out in outpatient care, so the transition won't be too bad...hours 8am to 3pm, sweet. 4 weeks vacation and full benefits. is it bad to give too weeks notice coming back from a vacation? but i figure since i get out early, that i could work at the old job in the evenings if they need a hand. extra money is never bad.

so i went to the Getty Center today. the place was beautiful, up on hilltop which you had to take monorail too. reminded me of a futuristic city, right before the cylons attack. caught up on my greek mythology as there were a lot of sculps...always get the roman and greeks names mixed up. also made me long for spain, they had a spanish artist exhibit there as well, goya's drawings are amazing. oh and they had a genius' in photography exhibit which was cool...psyched me up for the diane arbus exhibit at LACMA that i'll see tomorrow or thursday. after the getty, i took a drive to the shore and went up route 1 and enjoyed the scenery. the lack of traffic allowed me to take liberties with speed and i was taking those curves like a nascar driver. stopped a couple of times to look at some interesting rock formations near the water...yes, i climbed them too. joshua tree is kinda a far and they're pushing 100+ degrees, so i figured that rock climbing this time o' year...not so much. i'll wait for the gunks upstate when i get back. so in the meantime, there's a cool rock gym near LAX that i'm definitely doing tomorrow.

wish i had the USB hook up so i could add pics. damn!! drove thru beverly hills and bel air...passed thru UCLA and saw pepperdine...if i went to school here, i'd get nothing done. was very tempted to get a star map...just to have, cause i thinks it's funny.

can't get used to this damn time difference...it's like 2am over by you guys and i'm dying here at 11pm.

just took a long ass hike up a rolling hills in griffith park...smog is unreal...it's like this brown band of smoke that stretches out for miles and miles. did get to see that hollywood sign. pretty cool. i am now really, really beat.

my ipod is now filled...only 3374 songs!! what gives!!

With respect to certain individuals and out of common decency, i will not divulge details regarding certain bands that performed at the Coachella festival this past weekend. what i will say is that although the performances were awesome, the venue itself is crap. we're in the middle of the desert, and there is no one to direct you where to park or where you are once you are parked. nor was there any directions or signs to tell you where the actual venue is...except for the one lane of traffic of 3-4 miles that took an hour and 1/2 to reach the grounds. no one directed traffic, it was just chaos and annoyed the shit out of us.

100+ degree weather is not so bad out here.

Coachella 2004 and it's hot, but it's a dry hot.


arrived in LA last nite (45 min early). jetblue has got to be the best airline ever! not only was i entertained by a hot flight attendant named yuki, she also showered w/ me w/ free coca-cola's and dorito mixes. what more can a guy ask.

woke up at 5:45am, damn jet lag and quietly watched food network until de and eric finally got up at around 9-ish. went for a nice long and hilly walk around the neighborhood. they're a hot skip and a jump from griffith park, which not only the largest municipial park in the country (which has some really cool hiking trails, which will be all done this week) but it is also the home to that observatory that you see in the paula abdul "rush, rush" video, the tom hanks classic "dragnet" and i think part of "charlie's angels 2: full throttle" as well. de pointed out the high school where the carnival climax to "grease" was shot (as well as the movie version of buffy the vampire slayer). the coup de grace was the los feliz pitch and putt where jon favreau and ron livingston play golf in "swingers". de says that a lot of the locations for the movie are around her area. she promises to show me the derby is, which is where jon hooks up w/ heather graham at the end. so cool.

we got some smoothies that rival jamba juice and looked at some cute little dogs up for adoption. miss my damn little dogs!!!

so we're heading out to palm springs in a bit for the Coachella festival...we looked at the schedule and there is too much going on to get everything...but today, we must see radiohead (of course), the pixies, beck was just added, the stills and others, stereolab...i can go on and on. i am neglecting to mention another band that simone may be upset about (but they'll be in NYC in july!!! it will be ok) and this particular band was on Leno last nite...i missed it as i was getting off the plane and passed out before Leno was viewed here. so simmy, what did they play?

ok...apparently i must go and get this In and Out burger today. the name of the place suggests too things...tasty laxative or meat aphrodisiac. i'll let you know.

so i rec'd an offer today from Bellevue Hospital!! of course, i'm going to take it. how bad is it to give 2 weeks notice once you come back from vacation?? well, i'll offer my services part time in the afternoons...good for some extra cheese.

went to the getty center today...beautiful place, then i drove up route 1 to see some spectacular seaside views. driving is a bitch here...really wipes ya out. oh well, off to the hills for some hiking!!

I'm going back to Cali, to Cali, to Cali (for the 1st time, that is)

I leave for LA on friday...woo friggin' hoo. never been, and lots o' people have been nice enough to suggest places to go. before then, I am happy to report that I have an interview with Bellevue Hospital that morning. My program director has offered to give me an awesome reference and also gave me a heads up about a position at the Rusk Institute.

Things are coming up Milhouse!!

I am very excited. After that, I will join the patester and her friend christina at the Goog for the Singular Forms exhibit before hitting the airport shuttle to kennedy. Jet Blue baby...apparently no food but direct tv...go figure.

Rented the Matrix Revolutions, i like it better than reloaded. i wished for a bleak and depressing ending but what are you gonna do.

can this week go any slower!!!! i'm monstrously hyper from a grande mocha frapp...i ended up cleaning my house up before 9am...how sad is that. found out a friend is having a baby...a second. love me some springtime.

ok...so for information of what's happened recently...i find it easier to just refer you to simmy's or henry's recently entries as i was with them and am too lazy. though, i have to say that i love that sky bar at the La Quinta Hotel...it was like being in a surburban backyard but with 1/4 mile high trees---and we ordered pizza!! i wasn't really hungry but i just wanted to be part of the event...ordering delivery pizza at a bar, life doesn't get any better. oh and i purposely neglected to pay for a gatorade at that soccer game, b/c i had to wait too damn long for 2 friggin' hot dogs---that's stickin' it to "The Man"!!!!

Kill Bill Vol 2.--amazing...i have to say that what i love most about it was when Bill was cutting that sandwich! can't say why, i just do. i have to agree w/ simone's comment on renting Kill Bill Uno---my TV is too small.

pater's been down in the dumps so i've been trying to do my part to cheer her up---stuffed her full of chinese food and then we made some rosemary chicken with pasta and a meat sauce of her own making that was surprisingly good. the chicken turned out OK, b/c i failed to appropriately season it. always next time. we have this mix for LUCA BRATZI's that i'm dying to make!!! so far, we have the honey and the mix...we forgot other stuff to buy.

i'm headed to Cali in a 1 1/2 weeks!! De's been real nice thinking up of things for me to do while i'm over there since my Grand Canyon trip got cancelled. at this point, if i just lounge around in the sun--i'd be pretty darn satisified...oh yeah, i'll have to climb a little too. my instructor is gone this week, he's competing in a tournament in Belgium--he's got the sweetest deal---all he does is teach or practice climbing all day--he's got endorsements, so he gets free stuff. after goog'ling him--i found out that he's one of the best climbers in the world---he was the #1 climber from 2000-2002. yeah, so i've started to listen to him. been trying to get pater to climb--but she keeps wussing out, thought that the exercise will help her relax a bit--but she's resigned to pass out on my bench with electric stim coursing across her mid traps and parathoracics.

i think jubei's weight gain is the cause of his current lethargy. this kid gets out 4x a day, only runs around for like 5 min--then lies by me the rest of the time. gotta get him on the south beach---but i should probably master cleanse him first!!

i've opened yet another email account...blogger asked nicely and i say ok. right here

OMG...check this out...please have sound. thank you for your attention.

JESUS CHRIST ACTION FIGURE TV COMMERCIAL

wow...so i'm not at work today. spent easter sunday at the ER, with sharp right side abdominal pains (9-10/10 on a pain scale). praying to god it wasn't my damn liver again---i had xrays, bloodwork and a sonogram (the baby's doing just fine). the docs suspected my gall bladder or pneumonia--but luckily it's just a mo fo'ing muscle sprain (feels like my serratus ant. or transverse abominals with a little obliques kicked in). it only hurts when i breathe, walk, sit, lean over, laugh, cough, type, turn right, turn left.

spent saturday giving moral support to duncan and pater at the humane society. duncan has this blackened tooth and was worried about infection. turns out all is well and his teeth will just fall out. trailer park duncan---he will now be called cletus. we then took the boys to central park where it was sensory overload for them....they kept crying everytime we stopped! they just wanted to keep moving to see what was going on. went over to RatRock and watched some people boulder...which only frustrates me b/c i'll be off the rock wall for a bit...I'M USELESS!!

waiting to see if i get screening passes to kill bill vol. 2 today...any takers???

Least enthusiatic blog entry ever

1. i've been sicky this week, coughing on all my patients---i'm patient zero, call me typhoid celvy

2. i dread going out to LI this weekend...even with dinner with the waldrons

3. walking around naked in my apartment b/c the roomies are on vacation...not as fun as jennifer aniston may suggest

4. there is a mouse on the loose in my apt, and after many humanitarian attempts to subdue him (high frequency sound emiter, sticky paper)--he exists still. may need to use the snapper.

5. oh yeah...and my grand canyon trip is cancelled due to party dropouts...they actually called me back and said they'd do the tour w/ just me...kinda defeats the purpose of a "group trip". so i won't get my deposit back--but if choose to do a future trip w/ them, i wouldn't have to pay another deposit.

a glimmer of good news---have an interview with UCP (united cerebral palsy) next thurs...supposed to be yesterday but vomiting on the interviewer reflects poorly on me as an applicant. and NYU medical is looking for a senior PTA--want that job badly, hopefully someone remembers me there and gives me the hook up!!

IT'S HELLBOY FRIDAY!!

yes, i got sneak preview tix tonite for hellboy...i know, not exactly Lord of the Rings, but i'm hoping this will finally prove that a comic book can be made into a good movie (ok, count Blade and maybe Superman 2). i stumbled onto the comic a couple of years back just as a lark---Mike Mignola had done a batman one-shot called Gotham by Gaslight. i liked his work on it and so i looked for other stuff he'd done and that's wear i came across the red guy. it was totally different than any comic i'd read---it combined elements of folklore from all over the world, pulp novels and then threw in a little lovecraft just for kicks. i've been hooked ever since. so i hope the movie does it justice. Guillermo Del Toro is probably the hugest HB fan around and since Mignola had a lot of input on it--i'm sure it will be awesome.

P.S.--when i first read the book...i thought his shaved down horns were goggles and i wondered why he needed goggles. as you can see in the pic---they look like goggles!!

you know, my best friend is officially gone and it hasn't hit me yet. i can't think myself sad b/c i'm happy she's happy that she's moving to the west coast. and i'm gonna see her in a month and change anyways.

besides, thundarr the barbarian is on boomerang right now and i'm officially 8 years old again---"LORDS OF LIGHT!!"

Happy Spring to you all...according to my weather channel desktop it's 46 degrees but it feels like 40. and if you were just out w/ me and the boys at the dog run by the east river, it's like 35 degrees. wish i had a kite. good thing i was only wearing a thermal longsleeve shirt. so Ramilla, one of the regs at the dog run helped me out a bit w/ jubei's behaviour problem. she said the more i restrain him when he gets aggressive the more i encourage it...so i let him loose but with the leash still attached just in case, and he was fine. he even met a nice little border collie mix, Midnite, who was completely non-social at first, but my boy loosened her up a bit (just like his old man) and they were playing and running all over the park. they've had a busy day and are currently unconscious, as am i. i got my ass up at 7:30am to make an 8:30 pilates class--yes, i am crazy. it was a different instructor and she was good--until she started screaming at us! she would be all relaxed and calm, then she have a fit and start shouting--maybe she's with Tourette's or something. followed that up w/ a good hour of frustrating climbing and then topped it off with hitting the courts. played doubles with some old people...they stuck me with this old lady. well, of course we won. 6-3, 7-6. i think they were getting mad b/c i kept aiming for them instead of making a passing shot...but that's how we were taught in HS!!

my mom is insisting that i need to settle down. she's been on me and my sister, turned up to 11, since my sister's breakup. and she is freaking out with my climbing and my hiking trip, i told her that if i disappear...mary can have my stuff and pater would take the dog. she wasn't too thrilled. apparently, i need to be married and have babies...but then when will i have time to climb? i told her that i'll sort it all out IF i make it back from the grand canyon.

i'm such the good son.

So I had dinner with the Deirdster tonite, we wanted Balthazar but that wasn't to be...so instead we went to an offshoot of said restaurant, Lucky Strike. it was good, and i thought that maybe i was sad that she and eric are heading to the west coast, but turns out it was just gas (JK) or it was that downward swing into my supposed bipolarity (according to NY mag). she and her mom are convinced that i should also move to the west coast...but there's no bloody weather. sun. all. the. time. i would be obligated to in a good mood all the time, and let's face it--if i can't have my roller coaster ride, i'm not use to anyone. de says that everyone is crazy there, which may be true, but it doesn't beat the new york state of crazy. i don't think that their leaving will hit me until they're actually gone, gone, gone. but i'm seeing them in may, so i won't feel too bad. it has been established that whilst she is grown up, i'm still a man-child, but in an endearing john cusack man-child kind of way. but we already knew this.

i thought i was getting moody but my patients were so nice to me today, the healing hands i tell ya---nice ego stroking really is better than zoloft (not that i would know). so tomorrow is the first of their many goingaway parties, over at some bar at the L.E.S. peachy, one o' my roommates, is leaving tomorrow for her clinicals too...it's officially a bachelor pad starting tomorrow.

it will also be jason and donna's babyboo's 1st b-day...which means the trek into the bowels of south jersey (i think, i really don't know where they live on a map--it's just far). can't wait, haven't seen them in a while--and never met the baby. of course, the planning for this was a chore--not that i had anything to do with it--but there was the on queue last minute cancellations (3 this time methinks) and simone handled it all and got us a car--so sim/david, me, the lutster and the deeluv and child will be making the trip.

so my hot salsa instructor will be on the 3rd episode of the sopranos--giving tony's son the finger. sorry, i kept trying to turn you while doing the crossover...i was exhausted. happy, though--b/c i finally stuck the 2 red routes on that damn rock wall that have been giving me trouble, then i almost puked in pilates, which made me a dancing zombie when salsa came around. yesterday, in climbing class--i was solo yet again--which means the instructor would torture me. but it was fun--i learned dynos which only makes u look cool if you can stick it...which means i was only 20% cool out of 10 tries. it's friggin' hard. but much needed rest today and tomorrow...so i'll have no excuses sunday.

eddie izzard dress to kill is on right now...i own this on dvd but i can't not watch this--he just cracks me up. the patester and i know this dvd verbatim. which reminds me that i need to be watching kicking and screaming which the deirdster and i have been quoting since the nineties. once i watch the last days of disco for what must be the 20th time, i will have completed my yearly whit stillman ritual. i am also reading the screenplays to his first 2 movies metropolitan and barcelona, after already having watched them last weekend.

so i think there's a serial arsonist in astoria...big fire this week, big fire last month, and couple of big fires in past 6 months (including one that took the lives of marcia gay harden's niece and nephew)--this is all within a 1/4 mile radius of my apt. could my place be next??

oh yeah...and oliver--fran and i were messing with you all week, sorry---i'm not really into that patient, we just wanted to see how'd u react...b/c we are 8 years old. and you got to treat her today, b/c i purposely stayed with my new patient longer hoping you would jump in there---so stop making that face. got to admit though...you are funny when you're jealous.

trying to think of 70's and 80's songs to download...help?!?!

already covered: styx, ambrosia, crowded house, pet shop boys, player, the doobies, spandau ballet, foreigner, bobby brown, that band that sings afternoon delight, the little river band

The Return of the Spring

Woo HOo for the big 50 to 60 degrees of weather. even though it's gonna rain the next few days, the fact that i can wear shorts is quite comforting. spent this morning at the tennis courts, practicing serves and majorly sucking. a nice russian (i think) couple (who need some practice) invited me to hit around with them. and just when i thought they were some swinging couple who wanted to fulfill their asian cabana boy fantasy, they asked for some pointers. so i ran a nice little tennis clinic for 1/2 hour, taught them some fundamentals...the tennis bug is beginning to buzz. so tennis people, let me here you...i need a hitting partner!!! don't get me wrong---the rock climbing bug is still in full swing, as i am slowly destroying my body to get a stupid wall.

this month's NY mag has an article about bipolar disorder. if a lot of what the article says rings true...we're all a little bipolar, new yorkers that is. incidence of 1 in 20 in the US becomes 1 in 8 in NYC. this became a minor conversation w/ pater and later w/ deirdre yesterday morning, and we ponder...when does the hi's and low's of life become a diagnosed illness (bipolar I and II, as told by the mag, as opposed to the more serious condition)? does this worry me? not really, although deirdre really, really is pushing me towards therapy--as she is moving to CA and won't conveniently be able to provide that for me.

but i digress, enjoy the nice weather people!!! if this continues, i'm so at rat rock to bust my ass...come join me!!

and there has been much talk about diets lately. not just w/ simmy but basically a lot of my female patients...why? b/c it's springtime--which means prepping for that bikini! i am happy to say that it's been 2 weeks since i've been to mcdonalds. probably only b/c i'm broke and have been packing lunch--but still!!! no fast food!! though i have been fiending for those damn fries. in sad news, mickey d's is phasing out the super size!!! good luck people on your diets. i myself am not eating better out of health concerns but out of financial difficulty, you'll see, once i'm back in the green---it's white castle for me!!!

another thing...something needs to be done about this!!! please write Quiznos NOW to get this garbage off the air and i can enjoy a quiznos sub again!!!

(he only wrote the last 2, i know!)

So listening to my ipod this morning on the train, 4 songs "randomly" came up and made me think that i was living in a john hughes film. ok. i'm living in Shermer, IL--the fictional chicago suburb. belle and sebastian's the state i am in is softly playing in the background as i drag myself out of bed, get dressed and hop on the yellow (special) bus for the dread that is high school. next, when the "oh so popular and pretty" girl, who i share the first 3 periods of class with and have been infatuated with since freshman year finally breaks down and says yes to a date (to get back at her jock boyfriend, of course, for cheating on her)...i jump out of the Shermer High's doors to the tune of she bangs the drum, the stone roses. and i picture myself ooggling the girl of my dreams who works the counter at the record store to Interpol's PDA. and then at the end, after much class strife and isolation in the school library, the jocks, the nerds, the burnouts, and preppies learn that we're not so different after all, and after some intense bonding and soul searching, suede's trash ushers us out of detention and into a newfound maturity.

in other news, pater has asked me to take duncan and become his foster father for a while. i explained to her that she doesn't have a dog and think it's cute that she thinks she does. she's going through a rough patch right now and the thought of giving up her boy is heartbreaking. i told her not to be hasty, to see how things turn out and worse case scenario, i'll take the duncster as temp father figure (which i already am, so nothing changes). then i suggested random acts of violence to help deal with her sitch.

this morning, a girl gave me a funny look as i was standing in the park with the dogs in my slippers yelling "DON'T EAT THAT WOOD, IT MAKES YOUR POOP ROUGH!!!"

Salsa: The Revenge!

Man, I just did the power 2 hour gym experience. after an hour of the agony that is pilates, there is nothing better than the utter humiliation of taking a salsa class. it was surprisingly enough, a sausage fest, more guys than girls! but we got to dance with the instructor...who is MUCHOS CALIENTE, to say the least. so what did we learn: 1. pilates is turning out to NOT be a waste of time, my instructor said that i improved a lot. 2. i would like to emphasize that the salsa instructor is hot...the other ladies, one skinny awkward girl and a middle aged lady--fun to dance with...but the salsa instructor was hot.

i'll be shaking my bon-bon in no time.

in other news, eric has plugged the new teen jesus drama on his blog...we're just waiting for those hollywood power types to get in touch with us. didn't know this jesus guy could be so marketable!

Latest waste of time: Best of craigslist

You guys have got to read Best of craigslist. there is some funny stuff in this thing. it was suggested to me by deirdre's husband, eric. read the one about the rules for anal. love this internet thing.

what is it w/ married people and strip clubs? my LI friends were out on friday...haven't seen them in a long time. and they were pushing the strip club thing? so we hit some bars: chumley's, cinema classics, blind tiger, coyote ugly (ugh) and then they wanted to cap the nite at some club near herald square...scott saying that it was really, really "dirty". the place was empty and scott lied--he'd never been there. the dancers were dancing for the other dancers--never looked so bored. the employees were so below par that paul and i refused a lap dance that scott paid for! poor girl just trying to make a buck, rejected!

anyways, spent a weekend on LI. came back so damn stressed! i don't know what it is, but my parents raise my blood pressure to defcon 5--for no other reason than being themselves. they weren't pushing my buttons or anything, but i found myself, 100x more irritable around them. couldn't sleep at all and was lethargic all weekend. methinks i need to get some major dr. phil work done on me...maybe hypnosis. so why was i out there? b/c i was invited by my surrogate parents, the waldrons (de's parents), to dinner to celebrate the patriarchal waldron's birthday. food was spectacular (as it always is) and then followed it up with brunch this morning.

this will be the last waldron event to be spent with de and eric before they head for Cali. quite sad, but they'll be back for x-mas...but i'll still be at the waldron dinners, i am the adopted son after all. it had been suggested that i move to the west coast. to be away from the stress that is the parental units and from crazy new york women (b/c the shallow, self-centered woman of LA is a step up). luckily, it was proved that i probably should not go over there b/c when eric and i are together, it becomes an embarrassing sitch for the deirdster. par example: de has pointed out that eric and i tend to quote movies that do not exist and laugh as if we just saw it for the hundreth time. and she was really not happy about our pitch for a new teen show for the WB a la Smallville, called the Young Jesus Adventures...or as i like to call it Nazareth. jesus is a teen and goes to high school and slowly discovers his "powers". mary magdalene is like the popular cheerleader type, judas is the sidekick w/ a secret agenda, thomas, a friend in woodshop, who always thinks that whatever the big J does isn't a good idea, lucifer is the bully / archnemesis head of the burnouts, pontius pilate is the principal...you get the picture...apparently, jesus having sisters and bros, would be too controversial. casting is underway, but suggestions are appreciated. suffice it to say, de's not that stressed about a west coast move.

so can't wait to head out there in may...if i can really knuckle down and not spend money (after that damn dog fiasco), i can still do the stuff i want to do. so, no starbucks (!) and no eating out for lunch...you know it's bad when i have to cook!!! so spam tomorrow!

CUJO's Birthday!

it's my killer dog's birthday today...he actually made it to 2 years and look how happy he is:

so he will not be blackballed from the dog run, i spoke with the queen of the dog-run last nite, and she said that those maltese dogs are pretty nasty to begin with---they have attacked her and their dog before...so theory is that the little fuckers probably instigated and my dog was showing them who's the boss (not tony danza, but jubei).

Happy Birthday Jubster!!

Google Toolbar Installed

IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE

the dog is fine and we went to pick him up today. luckily, the dog doesn't require drainage and the sutures will melt on their own. poor baby was shivering and i'm just glad he didn't die. that would really, really suck. i wonder if the jubster could have been put down for something like that. can anyone verify?

anyway, in an effort to not kill my dog, i went to focus on something else. that's right, i hit the rock wall. but when that didn't seem to calm my anger, many a guinness and some karaoke really hit the spot! we actually had our first roommate outing, me, taylor, peachy and her friend elaine. we hit some bars, peachy's into this hawaiian thing so we went to the tiki room free food and some stupid valentine's day thing where you pick a different color lai to signify if your single, taken or "freaky". i was extremely drained from having been in that depressing hospital, but my old pal jack D. was there to bring some levity. it was a pretty lame scene so we then hit cinema classics which was 60's nite, things picked up after a couple o' brews. amazing how much of a lightweight taylor is, nursing his beers all nite. i think we all started to loosen up at this point. we, of course, had to bring up why we were all alone on V-day, like we were rejects in some support group (personally, i'm not too broken up about it--i had planned a weekend in vegas with the pate'ster and since we've gone splitsville--i saved me'self the money--of course, only to have that pissed away b/c of the dog---I AM FATE'S FOOL!!!). then we had a breakthrough, what better way to expunge the V-day blues than with some karaoke!!

so in lost in translation style, we found ourselves at sing sing where taylor had an affinity for the britney/christina ballads. very, very scary. me...i'm usually of the neil diamond variety--but went for the 80's stuff, like human league's "don't u want me?" and soft cell's "tainted love". wanted to do "white wedding" so bad!! but it didn't work. elaine and i did a heartwarming rendition of the Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way", avec choreography and everything! peachy was quiet but did do some hula dancing and ended the nite with Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn".

overall, good time had by all...with a possible love connection between elaine and taylor (!) woo hoo! got up at a nice 1pm, only b/c the dogs were harrassing me all morning. i'm $1700 in the hole and trying to figure out what i'm going to eat this week. double woo hoo!

i wish i had off tomorrow.

What a Valentine's Day!

so i hope everyone is participating in the lovefest that is valentine's day. me, i ended up spending most of my day at the Animal Medical Center. pater called me this morning, "bad news", my boy attacked a 3 month old maltese in the elevator of her apartment--and it was bad. the puppy's owner, nicole, went to the vet to get the bugger checked out. i went over to the apt and waited for news from nicole. she rang in about a 1/2 hour later, the puppy needs to be taken to the emergency room, not only were there puncture wounds on the pup's back, there were wounds on the belly--possible puncture of the stomach with internal bleeding. nicole turned out to be pretty good about it considering, and the icing on the cake is that it's her mother's dog and she was just watching him. thank god pater was there to do damage control and was really good at calming nicole down with her craziness, turns out that pater knows her nephew, so that was a plus. meanwhile, i was doing my best impression of mt. vesuvius, suppressing worry, anger, guilt, disappointment--you name it. and nursing a hangover to boot!

the dog requires surgery, the internal bleeding is that bad and was admitted.

the cost $1730.

anyone know how to apply for food stamps?

happy wednesday to you all. for some reason, this week is just flying by. congrats to the adorable newfoundland, "josh"for winning last night at the Westminster Dog Show. actually had the dogs last nite, and boy are they stinky! they have been forewarned. had them running around like mad wolves last nite, and some guy w/ his standard poodle came yelling at me saying that he was an off-duty police officer and that he saw my dog poop somewhere (he couldn't tell me where, of course). he threatened that the next time he saw me, he would give me a ticket. this guy was like 65 years old, the smart ass that i am, said "well, if you can't point to where my dog pooped, how can u be so sure he did it?" he said, "i know a dog pooping when i see it (it 11:30pm, in a dimly lit astoria park) i should have asked for his "badge number". i told him that if he can point it out, i would be more than happy to pick it, and waved a handful of poop bags at 'em. he snapped back "i've heard that before" and walked away w/ his poor dog. my dog had done his poops before we went our little run, and sometimes he squats to mark territory, which is easily mistaken for a BM. so i may be on the FBI's 10 most wanted!! woo hoo!

went to a NY times job fair this morning, to seek new employ at a hospital. jobs were few and far between...mostly demanding nurses. damn, i'm in the wrong profession. but i don't think i can wear those skirts and hats...wearing white all the time isn't my thing either. and as much as i love to see blood, i fear i may grow bored of seeing it all the time.

same checkout lady yelled at me last nite for wearing shorts 2 nites in a row. what can i say, i was lazy and it warm. she said i was a "damn fool!" for my attire. i replied that i like to show off my legs. 40 degrees = warm, relatively compared to the arctic blast of january. sue me.

i hate these late sunday nights, especially now that my shoulder is better and i am able to do my work. that big ball of work related stress is waiting right outside the door, to come crashing in at 8:30am tomorrow morning. i have found myself watching "you've got mail" only b/c it was when meg ryan was so cute and it's a NYC movie, specifically an UWS NYC movie. i pretend to live there and go "i know where that is"!

did some light PNF exercises w/ the left shoulder---found the clicking noise in D2 flexion quite unsettling. but was able to do a couple of climbs on the easy slope, green (easy) holds w/o any problems w/ the shoulder. was quite unsuccessful finding climbing shoes my size today--but the nice people at EMS made the effort to call around trying to find me a pair of five ten mojaves but apparently they were being phased out and wasn't able to be shipped. going back to the store tomorrow, to get another pair that i wasn't crazy about but is a good starter shoe. the pain of being in a climbing shoe, is quite new to me and i'm curious how i'll be able to get up a wall w/ my toes bunched up...is that like foot binding?

went to that time warner mega mall after reading simmy's last entry and it was like watching white people in their natural habitat. i actually liked it, hung out in borders read some mags as starbucks was packed (i haven't had a white mocha in a week, leave me alone!) then went over to sam ash, it looks like i'm gonna have to shell out more than 5 C-notes to get a decent piano. damn it!

oh and is anyone having trouble w/ their ipod's battery time? it was fully charged this morning, i listened to it on the train, couldn't have been more than 1/2 of listening. turned it off at borders, walked to 42nd street and took the W to soho--by then it was fully drained. what be the deal?

WOO HOO for NO HANGOVER

went to my friend, dan's wedding yesterday...he was kind of in a funk b/c there were a lot o' things forgotten (party favors, cameras etc) but as the best man had to fix him up w/ a couple of shots, loosened him right up. made a nice quick toast b/c the guy who preceded me read a 3 page speech...i had some things i wanted to say but the crowd was ansty after that 10 min (!) reading of the bible. there was no open bar...but wine was free, so our table polished off a good portion of wine before tripping the light fantastic to the electric slide! and there was mischief afoot, as the bride and groom sought to set me up w/ the bride's cousin, and in drunken fashion i had managed to scare this poor girl, dipping her and twirling her about the dance floor. i know what your wondering, did he do the running man? of course, i did...we should all go dancing!! everyone! let's go!!

i'm in the market for a digital piano...don't want to spend too much for one though, so i've hit the list of craig and the bay of E. so i don't want to spend more than 500, if you know anyone who wants to part w/ one. LMK. gonna head to sam ash today and guitar center to see what's on the market.

i'm listening to No More Kings from the SchoolHouse Rock soundtrack...can't believe most of my education came from 5 minute PSA's...shhhh, it's Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here!!

VACATION...finally

So i finally booked my flight and my hike to beautiful havasu canyon!!!

need to also find some place to whitewater raft in the area, if anyone knows--suggestions please. will the shoulder be alright by then, you ask yourself? of course, but i will have injured something else i'm sure in the meantime. co-workers are betting that i will be coming back in a bag...i think there's going to be an office pool. so spent my day doing nothing at work, and when i was working, doing the job of a medical assistant...but i did get a lot of sympathy from my patients, which is always good.

had dinner at the ocean grill. prie fixe menu 30 bucks!! love that restaurant week! so i had the sea scallops as an appetizer--which was awesome. and for dinner had this thing called skate---which is apparently stingray or something. very, very good. and finished it off with some orange creamsicle...yum, yum. now, i hate seafood. but i decided to experiment...and i know i have been anti sushi--but next week, i'm heading out to Mt. Fuji and i will have to partake in the sushi-osity. wish me luck.

so i have to make a toast at this wedding tomorrow...don't really know the bride, so what does one say about the bride who is more or less a complete stranger. actually skipping out on the ceremony itself to go have some dim sum for my friend wink's birthday---who happens to be as old as simone

and in better news...since my sister works for pace university...she gets discounts at the apple store!!! woo hoo!! 15% i believe...might have to get an ibook