every day is roomies day

Latest Update

2011-05-20T15:58:00.001-07:00

"I don't know, she might have wanted to have my sex in her mouth." --M

In the Spirit of Being Called What We Want

2010-05-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Let it be known, le Marc will now be called 'Jim Andrews'.

I, on the other hand, will still be 'Zhi'.

Go and spread the word.

The Face of a Tiger.. and the Body.. of a Tiger

2010-03-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about how everyone has been just crushing Tiger Woods, and I think it is totally warranted. Dude cheated on his wife AND two kids (the kids part is what really gets me) and created a fake persona to sell an image and make a shitload of cash. Deserves to get crushed.

He spent some amount of time in a rehab clinic for what he claims to be an addiction to sex. I don't have any experience with this so I can only take his word for it and presume he's not dicking us all around again (although this is definitely a possibility).

So if he actually does have some sort of sex addiction that requires rehabilitation, shouldn't his problem be treated with a little more civility? If the details of what happened Thanksgiving night revealed that Tiger was an alcoholic, wouldn't the public generally have empathy toward him? If sex addiction is a real disease on par with alcoholism, shouldn't we feel kinda bad for him and not gawk at every juicy scandalous detail that emerges about the depths of his depravity?

Called it.

2010-03-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Foursquare goes to the 'Jersey Shore'

What did I say in February?

Clearly the real marketing opportunity is for foursquare to team up with Jersey Shore. Can you imagine?

GTL Badge: “You just unlocked the GTL Badge! Gym, tanning, laundry all in one day. Get your fist pump ready, Guido (or -ette), because you’re looking fresh to death!”

Zhi's Australian Survival Guide: Sharks

2010-03-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

Zhi's departure to an island suffering drought, Ultraviolet radiation, ozone depletion may not make sense to all of us, but let's try to put happy face on it, okay?

Did you know the majority of the fauna in Australia is endemic to that region? As in, you can only find these animals in or around Australia.

166 species of sharks inhabit all of Australia's coast line, but only 3 pose a significant threat to humans. So that's good right?

We had sharks in Santa Barbara too, but we mostly just ate them. Shark tacos are the shit.

Apparently, the sharks in Australia think they're in the movie Alive because they have no problem eating each other the hell up.

Shark on shark crime:

The best is the lady who says "If they will go after a shark, they'll certainly go after my daughter." Yes, certainly, they'll also go after your ass lady. Don't think land will stop a great white. He'll roll up on you, using his teeth.

But shark on shark crime isn't all bad. Sometimes it saves other shark lives, such as below, where a shark bit another shark, and fucking baby sharks proceeded to fall out of the bite. Clearly the instigator is like..the House of his shark tank.

Apparently last year was "Australia's summer of shark terror". Which sounds...unsafe.

Meanwhile in America, shark attacks are declining.

Seems the best way to avoid a shark attack is to not be another shark, so at least Zhi's got that going for him.

10 things I'll miss about Zhi (in no particular order)

2010-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

10. His Mr. Miyagi way of explaining football to me
Whether it's college football or the NFL, he (Zhi, not Pat Morita) always patiently walks me through the intricacies of football. A benign "What's the BCS?" question last November led to an hour long tutorial in my bedroom, which I added a week later to my arsenal of flirting moves.

9. Random sports moves in the living room
If it's during the football babies season, he'll work out plays in our living room. Remember when he was really into basketball? He'd practice wraparounds and spins at night. Currently, before he hurt his shoulder, it's about boxing and shuffling his feet. Gotta keep dancin'. He also does all of the above in his underwear. Well, less so now, it's winter after all.

8. Willingness to do things for me (and everybody else)
On Christmas Eve he was going to Safeway and asked if I needed anything. I said, "Yes, sheer black tights". He was like, "Really?" and after about 5 minutes of "I'd rather buy you tampons" he left. When he returned he had things for Christmas dinner and a pair of black Hanes tights. In retrospect, this is probably less important than the times he's driven me to the hospital or to/from the airport.

7. Dance Parties
With his departure I can't think of anyone else that would be willing to have Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Ke$ha dance parties in our living room. Marc would rather stab himself in the neck. I remember when I first unveiled the Tsweezy love fest I was hiding. Driving back from a Giants game "Love Story" came on and I started signing at the top of my lungs. Jamo was literally having a heart attack. Then we stole some traffic cones. A few weeks later Zhi bought both of Taylor Swifts CDs and we haven't looked back since.

6. Style Guide
Along with Marc, Zhi provides crucial style advice. Their advice ranges from, "Your Décolletage!" to "Put a belt on it".

5. Unsolicited Compliments
Sometimes he'll say things that sound better coming from him than anyone else. I'm not really sure why. Probably because he has no reason to say them. They're totally unselfish things to say.

4. Tickle fights

3. Random quotes
Zhi and Marc will answer each other in quotes, from either Gladiator or 300. It's inspirational?

2. Focus
His focus is inspiring. I mean, when you're not asking yourself if it's focus or obsession, you're thinking, damn, I could never dedicate myself to the Eagles/football babies/random sports that could leave me brain dead as he could.

1. He's the hardest working friend I know
I'm a pretty selfish person. I talk shit on a lot of people. After Mary's housewarming last week we were talking about how I mute everything and let people figure plans out for me, before I decide whether or not I want to join. I know now, this is an epically inconsiderate thing to do. In thinking about this post (I went through a few drafts) I did a Zhi search in my gmail. A good chunk of the thousands of results were Zhi planning things, happy hours, parties, events, offers to pick you up, camping, rides, trips to the snow, etc. He's considerate, he always invites you places and he loves hanging out with you. If you can't send him (and friends like him) an email back, you're pretty useless. Anyways, I can't think of an eloquent way to wrap this up, I'm too busy not crying all over my keyboard.

Of Course These Dudes Lived Next Door

2009-12-28T10:44:00.001-08:00

Does that house look familiar to you? Is it the house on Clipper that had a space invader on the front stairs? The picture is from an NY Times article titled "When Skaters Grow Up."
It's occupants are:

Claire Bigbie, an interior designer and aesthetic omnivore, and her boyfriend, Jay Shapiro, 33, a skateboarder who is the bass player for Space Vacation, a heavy metal band

Which, you know, that's awesome for you. Meanwhile 3 doors down 7 adults (of varying ages..and definitions of the word) are sharing 2 bathrooms, sitting on a foof and poor Marc is in a closet for a bedroom.

On CMA Dress Codes...

2009-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

"Wait, is there some kind of country Kanye West that's going to come on stage? 'I'm sorry Taylor, but [that guy] has the best [cowboy] hat of the decade.'"

Also

"Look! Even the presenter has a [cowboy hat]!"

-M upon watching Taylor Swift's acceptance of the CMA Entertainer of the Year award, beating several gentlemen with fine cowboy hats.

since you've been gone

2009-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

when vanessa and zhi and carmina and marc and i lived at clipper street, we fought tooth and nail to get a $40 check for some broken pint glasses when our cabinetry dislodged itself from the kitchen's cheap guatemalan drywall and crashed onto the floor in what can only be described as the most intensly horrifying domestic accident since the oj simpson murders. and now? the new motherfuckers get this:

this man appears to be painting the inside of a door whose function is containing the smelly garbage cans that formerly lived in the walkway between the outside and inside of our house. HOW FUCKING NOVEL.

If the clock kept running

2009-11-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

On 11-Oct, 2009, the Almaden Pee Wee Mustangs played the West Bay Rams to a 20-6 mid-season loss.

It was a sloppy performance on our part; 5 turnovers, bad tackling, penalties. The first time I viewed the game film, I could not see how we lost. We were a better team than that performance. At the end of the game, I told the players, "Fellas, we did not lose this game. We didn't lose, we just ran out of time."

On 15-Nov, 2009, the clock keeps running. The Almaden Pee Wee Mustangs will play the West Bay Rams for the Peninsula Pop Warner Championship. The game will be 10AM PST, at Yerba Buena High School, San Jose, CA.

You don't often get second chances in life. What you do with them is up to you.

"One team, one heartbeat. One heartbeat, one team. Together, we can't lose. Together. We can't lose. Mustang Pride on three. One! Two! Three! ..."

Blubbery Mess

2009-10-26T21:26:00.001-07:00

"Have you ever seen that movie [The Notebook]? Don't even put it on, just slit your wrists."

--C

The Secret of Life

2009-10-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

"Lower your expectations to nothing. You will enjoy anything that comes."

-le Marc, commenting on life...or at least bad movies.

more Carmina awesomeness!

2009-10-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

"She's going to cry anyways, might as well put it in her butt."

"That's what girls with low self-esteem do, give up the butt."

A Quote from Carmina!

2009-10-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

"He's so hard, I can only do him* once a week."

* A particularly intense spinning instructor

Asian Baywatch Babe

2009-10-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

"...maybe she wasn't Asian. Maybe she was just Yasmine Bleeth...You know, because she was so tan!" --C

They say Facebook is Google 5 years ago

2009-10-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

...but as far as their shuttles are concerned, it's like Google now. As in, yes, we contract the exact same Bauer shuttles. With the exact same drivers. Picking up from the exact same locations. And apparently at very similar times. If you're both tired and euphoric from an intense workout in the morning, it's easy to be confused.

Some observations and key differences:

- Yes, there are markings to differentiate the FB shuttle, but like Google's the sign is small and easy to miss and does not actually say 'Facebook' (it's just a blue sheet of paper with the bus number on it).

- No, they do not use badge scanners, which would have been extremely helpful in helping me determine I was on the wrong shuttle.

- Yes, the passengers on both sets of shuttles are very similar; we dress similarly and are quiet, engineering types who aren't bothered by the fact that they've never seen me before, or that I'm wearing a non-FB badge around my neck.

- No, there is no wireless on the shuttle, or at least it's not the Google wireless.

- Yes, the ride is very comfortable, allowing me to take a nap and continue in my delusion for the majority of the trip.

- No, normally the Google office is not normally located in Palo Alto, CA. The Google shuttle does not normally exit on Page Mill Road. Off of 280.

- Yes, the FB office is very nice, albeit out of the way and very nondescript.

- The cost of a taxi ride from FB to Google is ~$30.

Everybody Poops

2009-09-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

"Pooping is such a waste of time. You're just sitting there, doing nothing...Then there's a post pooping period. Sometimes it takes so much out of you...it's a while before you can do anything...it's like having a baby."

Totally Normal

2009-08-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

And Jamo says we're too close. This is totally normal behavior. And sounds not weird when taken out of context or anything.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Casual Style

2009-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I just shared this article, but apparently it's over a year old. As a girl, these "laws" are attractive and insanely sexy, but I had a hard time figuring out why.
It should also be noted that boys' style rules are way cooler/funner to read.
Girls' style rules consist of "dress for your shape" and "trends for Spring!" Inevitably, advice offered for dressing your shape and listed trends are ~~fucked~~ ~~retarded~~ incongruous.
Anyway, let's take a look at some of these "laws" and guess why they're so sexy to las chicas.

Why does a white shirt look awesome on a guy? Probably because I'm thinking about how it will look on me in the morning.

Blue gingham? A bit farmer chic, yes. However, they bring to mind getting banged in a hayloft. Win.

Yes, so soft. And faintly dad-like. Mike Rowe I'm looking at you.

Ribbed sweaters make you look gay (not in a good way).

Also:
Tennis: Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
Baseball: Chase Utley, Grady Sizemore
Basketball: Um, that Spanish kid that looks like a Jonas Brother
Football: duh
Boxing: Those Russian twins? I don't really know.

e) Like unwrapping a present on Christmas.

Dey come in trees

2009-06-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

So there's this. And my (predictable?) reaction below.

Jamo: wow it really does come in 3s
http://www.tmz.com/
that is fucking amazing
Sent at 3:34 PM on Thursday

Carmina: yeah i guess no one's next, perfect tres

Jamo: effing crazy

Carmina: or you could say
"It's BAD"!!!

Jamo: shameless

Carmina: or thrilling news

Jamo: without shame

Carmina: Sham-on!

Jamo: billy jean will have to find a new lover

Carmina: too soon

Jamo: you need to change the orange party to a michael jackson party

Carmina: you would've thought he could "beat it"
or..
"orange you glad your ass isn't dead"

Jamo: yeah, that's more of an anti-death party

Carmina: looking at his corpse in the mirror
Sent at 3:42 PM on Thursday

Carmina: this news makes me want to scream.
q: You wanna be startin' something?
a: Yes, Michael's heart.

Jamo: okay, i need to walk away now
Sent at 3:44 PM on Thursday

A blow job is better than no job

2009-06-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just felt like saying this? But it didn't seem an appropriate away message.

<3 from Carmina

2009-06-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, Carmina told me when she first met me, she thought I was a 'halfie' (Half-Asian/Half-White).

If you know Carmina, this is the single greatest compliment she has ever given me.

Carmina's Lessons for a Young Drinker

2009-06-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article from Esquire called “Lessons for a young drinker”. Believe it or not, I actually read this article in magazine form. Megan Fox was on the cover and I needed to read something when I went to the beach a few weeks ago.

The general gist of the article is, don’t be an ass, don’t just get blind ass drunk and if you do either of the two, try not to do it again. There’s also an undercurrent of, “become a stuck up person who pretends to know about bottles of (insert current microtrend here)”.

I mean, whatever, I’m not going to dispute what this article says, because as I was reading it, I was like “Hey, that’s pretty good”. However, the title is misleading. To me a young drinker, is 19-22. I like to think of myself as a seasoned drinker.

Here’s my lessons for a young drinker (taking into account my age bracket above).

Listen buds, it’s not high school anymore, this is the time to find your limit. Now better than in the future when you’re drinking with your boss and puke in purse. If you have to puke in purse a couple of times before you identify your maximum, that’s ok. But try not to do it more than 5 times.

Speaking of puking, identify where the best places to puke are when you walk into that keg/frat/beach bonfire/camping/movie theater/concert/80s prom party. Nothing is more embarrassing than puking into the produce drawer, when the sink was right there.

If you’re drinking and you’re a girl do:

Be that girl every now and then, once it ceases to be fun, that’s when to stop
Go to a foam party
Pee in the foam
Always listen to your friends when they say that guy is not hot
Jump in the ocean with all your clothes on
Sing bad songs with your friends
Lie to guys to get them into bed (“You work at a special ed camp? I once tutored autistic children! In France!”)
Make out with your other girl friends to get beers/house cups/the liquor in someone’s bedroom

If you’re drinking and you’re a girl don’t:

Get date raped
Or cry date rape because you were just really not that into him and wish you didn't hit it
Climb a fence to get into a party and put your hand on an exposed nail (the only exposed nail on the entire fucking fence)
Start stupid fights with other girls
Have sex in full view of everyone
Think the window is a good escape route
Eat nachos, then drink some more, to engage your puke reflex
Work out

Boys, I’m sorry, I’m sure you have your own drinking rules, I won’t try to guess at them.

But I’ll offer a few, do let a girl pee in the men’s room toilet, let her grab your crotch, get her more jungle juice.

Don’t date rape!, laugh at her even if you know she’s lying/faking an orgasm/crying, tell her she can’t crash at your house, even on the couch.

"No Pepper! Don't go into the room full of shadows and danger!"

2009-06-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

"There is a barrier. On one side, Life. On the other, Death. Guess which side you two are on?"

Some Quotes From Carmina 2009-05-09

2009-05-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

"I wish my life were a cigarette ad"

"Red Hot Jam" (after confusing a Red Hot Chili Peppers song for Pearl Jam)

Things I have learned living with Carmina and Marc in China

2009-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hearkening back to more innocent times, circumstances call for an update to the lessons learned from living in China.

le Marc is a constant source of humorous catch phrases. Not that we intend to be mean or tease him about his fast and loose grasp on English, but they truly are some brilliant quips which decorate and lighten up our lives. I thought about putting context around them with translation, but I think it best to stimulate conversation on what you think these mean:

"having the Big Sex"
"double scoop-scoop
"eat like a a pork"
"Pig Fever"
"I can choose my own destiny...and the destiny of this donut is in my mouth"
"He's so gay I can smell the cum from his mouth"

Carmina loves reality television and hates Julia Allison. However, she spends equal amounts of time on each. Here is a sampling of the shows we've been forced to watch in the past few months:

Real Housewives of Orange County
Real Housewives of New York
Real Housewives of Atlanta
Real Housewives of New Jersey
Real Housewives of WHEREVER THE FUCK THEY FIND THESE SYCOPHANTS
Rock of Love (yes, the one with Brett Michaels)
Dancing with the Stars ("Giiiiiiiiiiiiile Marini!")
Tough Love
Tool Academy
Little People, Big World
Intervention (Actually makes you want to take meth it's so depressing)
Jon and Kate, Plus Eight ("Kate has been controlling my portions. Last night I wanted seconds and she said no, so I didn't")
True Life (in marathon form)

Not to say le Marc and I don't enjoy these things. It's just sad when I relate real life situations to how Power Tool and his girlfriend would have done it and no one around me knows what the hell I'm talking about.

I can't be sure, but I'm fairly certain I have a neighbor who is gay and in love with me. He has said to my face, "You're beautiful" and blown me a kiss. This is freaking me out to no end. Mostly because I don't find him to be an even remotely attractive gay man.

I'm sure le Marc and Carmina can elaborate. Hang out with us more and we can share more stories.

Let-me-in-girl

2009-04-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was woken up by some debauchery on 24th street -- which is usually not worth a blog post of any kind. The girl who woke me up was different. She was violent! She was angry! She was vulgar! She hated people (one *very* unlucky person in particular)! This one was worth saying awake for. Not that I had a choice.

It went kind of this:

Let-me-in-girl: "Let me IN MOTHERF***ER! uuuuuUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! Let me IN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!! PICK UP YOUR F*ING PHONE!"

Let-me-in-girl: "Let me IN! F***! OH MY GAWD!!!"

After some time, she would try and walk somewhere -- I say try because she only ever made it about few wobbly steps before using the wall to help her down to the ground. Her demeanor changed when she was on the ground -- she was more sad and muffled. Oh right, not really muffled. Maybe just... lower to the ground.

Let-me-in-girl: "UUUggggggggh"
Let-me-in-girl: "UUUUUUUUUgggggh"
Let-me-in-girl: "Oh my gawd. Oh my gawd. I HATE YOU YOU MOTHERF***CKER!!!"

Then she would get up in an overwhelming rage and resume the cycle, climbing on the door, clanking, yelling, etc.
The cycle was consistent and continuous, with just a small number of variations:

(1) At one point she carefully threw her shoes, one at a time, over the doorway (which was just beyond reach of a drunken climb).
(2) She would occasionally change her tactics and attempt to ask nicely: "Please help me, you stupid f***?"
(3) She found an alternate door which led into the buildling, and tried to kick it down.
(4) She made it a car in front of the buildling, and tried to get inside (it was locked).

She had me completely stumped. Who was this girl? Did she even know anybody in side at all? Was she at the wrong house? Or maybe this was a date gone wrong -- they had plans to go upstairs together to his place, but they both got to drunk and he went up without her, forgetting she was there. Maybe she was from out of town, visiting a friend, and really had nowhere else to go, and didn't know her way around the city? Could she have been working, and lingering to collect?

One thing was for sure: this was not a girl who was comfortable with the idea of spending the night on the street. And she was not in the frame of mind to come up with any creative "plan b"s. She was going to get inside that building: or else.

She must have known the police would come. I'm sure of this because my neighbor yelled out of her window "You're going to have to quiet down, or I'm calling the cops", to which she responded by loudly singing a song, with all the real words swapped out with "uhhhs" and "f***s".

However, when the police arrived, she seemed shocked (this is after an hour and a half of solid yelling and screaming). She spoke much more quietly to them, so I couldn't hear the details of the words exchanged. I did hear her confess that she had been drinking but she absolutely had not been "wandering around" as the neighbor had claimed.

She told them, no, you don't need to take me anywhere, I can get in. I could not believe this. She was going to try and trick the cops into leaving -- she even walked all the way to the door with her purse and started trying the keys that she had one by one in the door. You could see the cops smirking -- this was an insane tactic which was only delaying her destiny of getting into that police car.

Then I got my answer. Excited, I hear her say "Oh, you know what?...", and she tries a new key in the door. One that works. And she enters her apartment. Where she lives. Across the street from me.

I cannot imagine what let-me-in-girl's hangover must have been like this morning.

Begun the Noise Wars Have

2009-03-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

We may have won the battle, but I believe the war has just begun...

Our day of reckoning was last Thur, Mar 19, when we had our say in community court. le Marc came with me, and with the both of us dressed to the nines, I figured we'd at least look good, because we had no idea what was about to happen.

Things did not start off well. I forgot to print out my incident tracking sheet so I had to write those down by hand. Then Walgreens could not process the photos I had of our carpeting and the drum platform, so I had to bring in a CD and my GPhone with the pictures on them. I tried to go to the WaMu in order to cut a money order for the administrative fee, but couldn't find one. It was not going to plan.

Things only worse when we finally arrived (at least we found the place on time). First of all, it's in the Sunset, and as le Marc said, if you live out there, you should probably just kill yourself. As we awkwardly approached the room where the community court was being held, they said we were early and told us to sit out in the hallway, on chairs made for the tiny children. Then as le Marc and I are formulating whatever last-minute strategy we could think of, in walk our neighbors. I'm surprised the two of them could fit through the doorway given the high horses they rode in on. We had not imagined that they would be there, believing only that we were contesting the police report. However, this is where our luck began to turn.

As soon as I entered the room and saw the panel who would be deciding on our case, I knew it was right in my wheelhouse. In the room was one city clerk who was there to take care of administrivia, one police captain from the Ingleside station (the station where the officers came from the cite us) who was only there to read the police report, and the panel consisting of one old and clearly disinterested older man, two retired teacher types, and one lady who must have been at least 75, given the walker she was sitting next to. Why was I excited at the prospect? Well, there aren't many social situations I'm good in. Generally I trend towards awkward. However, one group of people I'm very good with is middle aged to retired people, because the way I was raised to be polite and respectful to these folks, almost obsequious, while being articulate but not talking out of turn or too much. I'm dressed up nice and always smiling and making eye-contact. Basically as I've been told, I remind people this age of how they wish their children and grandchildren should act. Normally, I would find pandering beneath me, but in this case, my ass was on the line, so I was going to use whatever was at my disposal.

The proceedings got even better because apparently, my neighbors had assumed it was just a session where they could go and bitch about us being lousy neighbors, and not actually a community mediation case where you're presenting your side of the story. They were given the first opportunity to speak, and in a rambling, pitiful spiel, basically laid out that she couldn't live the way she wanted to, in absolute silence. At this point is when things got good. I'll present the highlights:

- The head mediator first pointed out that what my neighbor wanted wasn't possible. Being that we live in a metropolis the size of San Francisco, and that our apartments face Mission St, there was no such thing as perfect silence, so expecting your neighbors to make no noise whatsoever, especially compared to the urban background, was impossible.

- Our neighbor claimed we had never had any carpeting in our apartment, and all we did was walk around on our bare floors. To this, I was able to present the photos I had taken of the carpeting in our apartment, and attest to the fact it's been there since Aug 2007, and that the neighbors had never taken the time to actually visit and see our carpeting.

- Our neighbor claimed she had gone out of her way to 'welcome' us into the building seeing as how we were the new tenets. To this, I was able to recite from record the actual first meeting between us, when she came to complain about the bike dropping incident the second night we lived there. Also, I pointed out that it was I who actually made an attempt to reach out by going down there afterwards, giving them my business card, letting them know I was willing to work to be a good neighbor.

- After reciting all the various incidents, including dates, times, and outcomes, the mediator asked, "From my notes, I've heard at least 5 separate incidents where these gentlemen tried to compromise regarding the situation, what have you [the neighbor] done to compromise?" To which the neighbor gave the response, "Well, I go out more at night so I don't hear it." At this point, the older gentleman on the council, who hadn't said a word and was probably asleep the entire time, chimed in with "That's not a compromise. That's you going out more."

- Finally, the mediator asked our neighbors point blank, "What do you want them to do to help rectify this situation?", to which she replied, "I just want to live a in my peaceful environment, enjoy by home and my space peacefully." The mediator immediately pointed out "That's not something they [pointing at le Marc and I] can do. That's about you figuring out how to live, that's not an action they can take."

- Our neighbors, in some last desperate attempts to not lose this case, accused le Marc of yelling obscenities at them, and also tried to get in several more arguments while the mediator was speaking, to which she quickly told the neighbor to shut it, and stop interrupting. Now, in a room full of middle aged women, how I came off looking better than my neighbor, also a middle aged woman...in. my. fucking. wheelhouse.

The end result? There are some things that our side has to do, not us specifically. Our landlord has to get the apartment up to HOA codes by covering more of the bare floors. However, beyond that, the mediators told my neighbors they have no complaint, because the bare floor problem was there before we moved in, and was out of our control. They told her the she needed to work with us, either in arbitration or other means, to learn to co-exist. All charges were dropped, I didn't even have to pay the administrative fee. All it cost le Marc and I was a half day off work. Afterward, when the neighbor had already left, and we were thanking the panel for their time, they expressly told us: "[Your neighbor] needs to get over herself." I don't really know how much more WIN! this could get.

On the way home, le Marc said it best: "It smells like America, God Dammit! It smells like...Victory!"

Regardless, China House is moving this year. Whether it's in Aug, or sooner if we decide to break our lease, despite winning, it wasn't worth all the struggle and effort. But damn did it feel good to win.

Burger Bomb

2009-03-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is too late as a response for Jamo , but it took me this long to find something to say. Also, I was kind of over it, then I got under it again.

In-n-Out is not in the fast food category. It's definitely not the same as like, Burger King and Jack in the Box.

They're not churned out factory style

They cut their own fries

Their employees are generally happy (also white, asian [in Daly City])

That shit takes hella long. Have you been in that drive-thru? It takes like, 20 minutes! I've run out of gas in that line.

Barney's is not gourmet. Plus, as a sit down restaurant, they charge extra for fries. That's crap. However, they do have delicious fries. I would say better curly fries at Barney's than actual hamburgers.

But the, like, main impetus for responding today and not other days, is that at Orson they serve a burger with the following:

Cobb salad relish (which is bacon and blue cheese, I think)

Homemade steak sauce

Foie gras mayonaisse

And it comes with (DUCK FAT) french fries! All for $15!

Granted, this is way outside the scope of our initial discourse, but that shit is fucking gourmet.

I may rescind my Orson boycott (apparently I was "too drunk") to partake in this burger, who's coming with?

Also I took down the last post because I knew it would cache (or cash-ay as [redacted] says, dumb bitch) for you guys and there would be little to no risk for those people mentioned in the post to read it.

What Chris Brown Did to Me

2009-03-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Never drinking again. This time, I'm serious. This was scary. I don't ever want to be in that situation again. That's all.

Damn, I Was Looking Forward to Doing Time.

2009-02-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

So an update on my legal troubles. I apparently have to appear in Community Court on Mar 19th. The details are coming in the mail. At least it will get resolved sooner rather than later.

The best news: by virtue that I've agreed to appear at Community Court (and pending that I actually show), this matter will be settled and will not appear on my criminal record. Which also means I will continue to not have a criminal record.

While I may bluster that "I don't want to die without any scars," I'm pretty sure this is a good thing.

Anyways, if any of you are planning to serve as character witnesses for me, mark that date on your calendars. I'll have more updates soon.

My Burger, Myself

2009-02-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

Jamo's bacon burger blog post brought some strong feelings out of me. First about bacon, then about cheese, then about being friends, then about Jesus. While I personally love a bacon burger (and bacon in general) I also love In-N-Out, and I don't really give a shit that they don't offer bacon. When Jamo said he hated In-N-Out I felt angry, for like a minute, because I felt that Jamo just said he hated me. Like, everyone else said I was cool, and then me and Jamo met at a party, and he was all "meh."

Me and In-N-Out are tight. Like super tight. Once my car broke down in the drive thru and the In-N-Out guys pushed me out of the way. When I used to work nights, I would stop by In-N-Out, and occasionally, get a hot Krispy Kreme while I waited. That’s right, I went through 2 drive thrus for a donut and a hamburger. Yes, it was worth the fat kid shame.

Back in the day, there was no In-N-Out in Daly City. I only got to have In-N-Out when I drove with my Dad to visit my sister in San Luis Obispo or went on the annual back to school shopping trip at Gilroy. The connection with In-N-Out and my family, or more importantly In-N-Out and new clothes, allows me to forgive their lack of bacon and makes me love their food even more.

I guess if I was Jamo, eating In-N-Out for the first time, by myself and in Daly City, I wouldn't like it that much either. However, I would ask Jamo to remember that place in Pittsburgh that all of his friends went to the day after an awesome party with a gnarly hangover. How dope was the food when you're in your pajamas and still drunk at noon? What did the bacon taste like? I bet pretty fucking sweet.

This is probably why I don't like Phat Philly's and think that Tastykakes are pretty crap. I didn't grow up eating it. However, I can get down on an animal style hamburger, with extra raw onions and be back in my sister's 323 Mazda driving on 101. Also it's 1997 and my mom's still alive. So fuck you, your cheesesteaks and your french fry sandwiches.

just kidding, bff 4L!

Choices on a Rainy Day Off Work

2009-02-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

Zhi: (Looks contemplatively out the window, with a deathly serious voice) "I'm going to make something...Asian".

Carmina: (Laughs)

Federal Pound Me In The Ass Prison

2009-02-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

So I had my day of reckoning today. And by reckoning, I meant I dressed up like a monkey, paid $15 for parking, only to find out I have to wait 4-6 weeks for the backlog of citations filed in the City of San Francisco to clear up enough for them to process my case.

I put on my Sunday best to go down to the Hall of Justice. Let me tell you, that place is exactly as menacing as it sounds. After being duped into paying a $15 flat fee to park (there was a cheaper lot down the street), I found myself in my rightful place, standing with the dregs of society. In retrospect, I should have just tried to go through the "Employees Only" metal detector line seeing as how I probably could have passed myself off as an assistant DA or something; my fellow criminals were dressed in what I can only describe as a cross between Monday morning indifference and general meth-addictedness. I'm fairly certain one young lady gave me the finger as I stood in line, several spots behind her. Then the nice, young, armed, court officer yelled at me to put my binder in through the x-ray machine. I may have pissed myself.

Anyways, after showing up to the Non-Traffic Citations office, they told me to go down to the D.A.'s office to find out what I would have to do. The D.A.'s office, obviously fearing my reprisals had I been sent to a jury trial, mandated that I go to Community Court. However, the backlog of all the citations in the system will have me waiting 4-6 weeks until I receive notice in the mail of when and where to appear to make my case. Anyone know any good non-extradition countries I can find myself in a month?

My total time at the Hall of Justice today? 5 minutes. At least the good news is I won't be going to Federal Pound-Me-in-the-Ass Prison. I found the language of my official citation, CA Penal Code 415.2, Disturbing the Peace. Anyone want to help me come up with an argument on why we did not "maliciously and willfully disturbs another person by loud and unreasonable noise."?

Mission Food Mission: 30th to Cesar Chavez

2009-02-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

This is most of the prologue for my review of the eateries in China:

Mission Food Mission: 30th to Cesar Chavez

What's this?

Two Quests

2009-01-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap! No one has posted to this blog in a while. It's like we aren't even roomies any more!

Quick post, as I promised myself I wasn't going to get distracted today...

I have two food quests I want to partake in:

1. Try each and every restaurant/food place on Mission between 30th and Ceasar Chavez (le Marc's idea actually).

2. Try each and every BBQ restaurant in SF.

Of course I'm going to Yelp them all and put it into a list. Yelp has taken over my life.

Anyone want to come questing with me?

Totally Excellent

2008-10-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

In case you've been busy taking imperials in the handicapped bathroom at your office, read about this Rhodes Scholar here. But for your viewing pleasure:

Friday Night Shenanigans

2008-10-20T12:25:00.001-07:00

On Friday night I got a call from people I haven't seen in for.ev.er to hang out at Zeitgeist. This sounded like a stellar idea.

Little did I know that if I reviewed what happened the last time I hung out with this people, that I should have prepared myself better.
Here's a snapshot, from our last escapades:

Running around Bell Market on Polk, buying 10 mini ice creams and a frozen pizza
Getting water poured all over me in Berkeley BBQ
Ending up in a kiddie pool filled with thyme and olive oil at Berkeley BBQ (literally, it was Carmina soup!)
At Vallarta speaking awesome Spanish "Me Gusto Mucho!"

Anyways I should not have been surprised that my Friday ended up in me trying to walk home from Zeitgeist. I had to make a hasty retreat from the bar, since I told someone I barely know that her bff would probably die.

Quote: "I mean cancer, like kills people. You should just be ready. I know he's young and everything, but last time I saw him he wasn't looking that good."

On my way home, I got sidetracked, went into Little Star, drunk and alone. Crying at the bar at Little Star while ordering a pizza. Harrasing cab drivers who were obviously not taking my drunk ass anywhere.

Calling Zhi 5 times, crying. Calling Chris 10 times, hysterical.

I would like to highlight that Zhi did pick up the phone after call 5, and given the fact that he was with a girl...that's pretty dope.

From an update just now, breaking news, apparently after I left one of my friends got kicked out of Zeitgeist and everyone else's night mimicked mine, tears, wandering etc.

So that's awesome.

Missing: Roommates

2008-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Marc L. Male, Caucasian, 26 yo, 6', brown hair. Very French.
Last seen: 2008-09-29

Carmina S. Female, Filipino, 26 yo, 5'4", brown hair. Very crazy and outlandish.
Last seen: 2008-09-30

If seen, please contact Zhi Qiao. Or, if you're interested in becoming my new roommates, please apply via email.

It's so lonely in China House!

This is what sad looks like

2008-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying my best not to become irrationally angry about this whole ION Drum Rocker situation. If nothing else, I garnered some more data points:

- Amazon's shipping is really good. I got the unit on the 16th, well in advance of any other place's release dates.
- Amazon's customer service is really good and responsive. But I guess they can't do anything if they have no units.
- Amazon doesn't get frequent shipments from suppliers, or at least not as frequently as I'd like.
- ION Audio seems really disorganized and/or small-time as an operation
- The internet is amazing.
- Best Buy employs a gamut of Sales Associates from the short-bus riders to the angry, bitter, college dropout.

Hopefully this will all work out for the best by next week. I'm trying to convince myself that this is just pure chance, and has nothing to do with karma. If it is the latter, could someone help me figure out how to be a better person?

Actually, I could probably use some help with the karma thing anyways.

Lessons of Coaching Football Babies

2008-09-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

So I thought about starting another blog, or some other medium for me to remember these lessons of coaching I've been accumulating from coaching the Almaden Jr. PeeWee football team. However, I realized I probably wouldn't put more than one or two posts on there. So might has well hijack this blog for another purpose. So here goes. Things I've learned while coaching 9-11 year olds playing football.

Fundamentals are the most important things to learn, the hardest things to find time for, and the first things that go when stressed. But they are the keys to victory
- Getting the snaps from the center to the QB/Ball carrier. Without this, nothing happens.
- Firing off the snap. Being the first off the ball on offense or defense is 9/10ths of the battle.
- Playing till the whistle. Go 100%, at all times. Even if it's a mistake, make it all the way.

The Devil is in the details.
- Stances. All parts of it: feet, legs, hips, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, head.
- Splits. The team's we beat have tried to do too much with this.
- First steps. Offensive line play is all technique and heart.
- Knowing the snap count. Must know it cold.
- Getting in and out of the huddle. If we're going to get all the details right, start with this.
- Going full speed in all drills, to and from parts of practice, in and out of the huddle. This translates in the games
- Knowing the plays (as a coach) from all angles and so well you could recite them upside down and backwards.
- Knowing who is on what teams, lines, etc.
- Special teams is all about repetition and positioning.
- You must have a way of getting plays in and out of the huddle fast, without tiring your players out from running back and forth from the sideline.

As a coach of 10 year olds, I need to learn to be a teacher, not a fan.
- Make sure you're building from success rather than correcting from failure
- Teaching too much takes away from aggressiveness
- Yelling all the time is not helping them learn, helping them love the game
- Encourage; don't ever put them down
- Winning and doing well is important, but more so is building up these boys into young men. School, teamwork, self-respect, confidence, and discipline are all more important than winning
- Don't over-drill. Making things competitive makes them fun
- There are 11 players on either side at all times. Only 1 of them is going to have the ball. If you only watch what happens to the ball carrier, you're missing out on coaching 95% of your team.
- Emotions can be helpful if your team responds positively to it. Otherwise, you're only clouding your own judgment and view of the game.
- Discipline and self-control starts from the coaches. Don't let the game get to you.
- Don't over coach on game days.

Go Mustangs!

It Makes My Taco Pop!

2008-08-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

We all love chipmunk, despite rumors of cheating on the mat (beam? floor? vault?).

BUT! I'm pretty sure we can all forgive her after viewing her newest commercial for Ortega salsa:

Things I have learned living with Zhi and Marc in China

2008-08-28T22:43:00.001-07:00

I have learned special things about Marc and Zhi after living with them, and just them, for almost a month:

Zhi has white guilt

We had some maids in to clean the house last week and Zhi didn't know what to do. "Should I look at them?" "Why are they touching my stuff?" Well Zhi, it's kind of their job.

Marc loves chipmunks
In France, the movie "Cool Runnings" was called "Rasta Rockets"

And also the theme song is apparently different

Zhi works out in boxers only
Someone is curious about gay dwarf porn
Marc loves Wedding SOS

Also, wedding shows bring out the worst in Marc, everyone's a cunt, he wants to poop in their mouth, etc.

Living with both of them is like living with your best girl friends, you're in your panties, eating ice cream (okay, popsicles) in front of the TV and watching awful reality shows

If we were a sorority we could be Zeta Kappa Banger

A Look Into The Future...

2008-08-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080825_Coach_is_accused_of_attacking_boy__8.html

254

2008-08-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

Ha ha! Poop in your mouth

2008-07-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hilarious

Sporting Goods Fail

2008-07-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Champs Sports has a location in San Francisco at the Westfield Shopping Center in downtown San Francisco. The company motto is "Where Sport Live"(TM). Now, I don't know about you, but in a sporting goods store, I expect to see "sporting goods". In my mind, "sporting goods" refer to products which facilitate the participation of said physical activities, often referred to as "sports".

Apparently not.

I went in to buy a baseball, because I, Zhi Qiao, All-American boy would like to throw it around (i.e. learn to not throw like a girl). So I take a quick look around, and see nothing but shoes and jerseys. I peruse more carefully to see if perhaps I missed something. No baseballs. I ask the friendly sales clerk who works in this "sporting goods" store, decked out in a faux-athletic jersey, if they carried any baseballs.

He replied that they do not. Nor does any store in the mall (not sure of how many other "sporting goods" stores there are in Westfield center...). In fact, the only place in the city where this friendly sales clerk of the place "Where Sports Live"(TM) thought I could find some baseballs was at the Sports Authority. Aside from the fact that he was recommending a direct competitor to his company of employment, this statement also implies that no other Champs Sport, "Where Sports Live"(TM) in the city of San Francisco carries baseballs.

What. The. Hell.

In fact, as far as I could tell, all the "sporting goods" at the place "Where Sports Live"(TM), were replica jerseys and shoes. Not cleats and specialized shoes, no I had already looked before for those (they had 1 pair of football cleats in stock), just sneakers. Basically it was a clothing store. But instead of the newest summer fashions, there was nothing but replica jerseys and sneakers.

Is my perception of what is a "sporting goods" store too antiquated? Or has the whole world gone crazy? When did sports become fashion? Jerseys are for wearing to watch a game or to show support for your team(s). When did it become OK wear it anywhere and everywhere. Why is the most important thing to have in a "sporting goods" store not sports equipment? I'm not asking for a full set of golf clubs, it's a baseball. You can keep 100 in stock and it would take up 4 square feet of shelf space.

I don't understand this. And it makes me angry.

ps: The friendly sales clerk from the place "Where Sports Live"(TM) also ended our brief exchange with "word, yo". I just wanted to share that.

mini-rant

2008-06-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Seriously Jenna - if I wanted treehugger.com in my goog reader, I would subscribe to it.

Chipper Jones is a Pompous, Arrogant Douche-bag

2008-05-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but this is one of those rant posts that may not be relevant to all of you. I just needed to vent.
Read this short article.

The quote that bothers me:
"Honestly it's a shame that I've got to go out and hit .400 for two months to make an All-Star team," Jones said. "It's kind of depressing to me because I've had — to me — what I think are some pretty good first halves, what I think is a pretty good career, and I haven't made an All-Star team since '01. ... But I'll take it. Got to make a splash to get people's attention? Got to make a splash."

Fuck you! Damn right you have to make a splash to make the All-Star team! Hey, "Chipper" in case you haven't figured this out, the All-Star game is an honor bestowed upon you by the fans who vote for you, or the manager of the team that year deciding you are one of the best players in baseball. Yes, you've been a great player for the last 15+ years (I know for sure you kill the Phils), but that doesn't entitle you to anything. You are privileged to be a grown man playing a child's game for millions of dollars. Your job is to entertain people. You should be honored that you do it well enough for them to appreciate your skills. Don't bitch and moan about how you deserve to be recognized before this.

This is even worse than most cases of selfish athletes that I hear about. What compounds it is the fact "Chipper" is going after one of the most sacred and holy numbers in all of sports, .406. I'm not gonna say you don't deserve this, "Chipper". I'm sure you've worked very hard and as I've said before, you are very talented and you make the most out of it. But could you grow up a little? If you do hit .400, you'll have some awfully big shoes to fill.

dream not dream

2008-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong.
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

I went to visit Jaffar in the desert, where there was a motorcycle race course. One of the obstacles in the course was an enormous piece of wood, like made by aliens or the work of slaves for generations enormous. Jaffar had the corner apartment with a view, and when we were inside I could see that it wasn't actually a single piece of wood but rather a million tiny logs held together by elastic cords. There were hollows inside that we slung through, but we had to be very very qwiet because his parents were asleep in the next hollow over.

We were playing in a battle of the bands for some charity event at a bar, but instead of real bands it was a Rock Band battle. At first the audio-video calibration was off and we got booed off the stage. We made kissy faces at the judges though and got a second chance, where we rocked and made it into the finals. Jamo wore his Cinco de Mustache and had a giant cucumber stuffed in his pants. In the finals Zhi played the guitar solo to More Than a Feeling with his tongue, and got a 100% on it. The judges overlooked us in the final decision though, giving the win to a bunch of tranny guys in strapless dresses who didn't shave their armpits.

I went to a Burger King for the Mother's Day special, but they must've mixed up my order because I just got a regular double cheeseburger. "That cheeseburger is poisoning America" Crank tells me matter-of-factly. At that point I saw next door a McDonalds with a big sign for their Mother's Day special, which was an eleventy-patty burger. We went over but couldn't get in because the doors were blocked by waffle fries from floor to ceiling.

no mickey

2008-05-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

It was a mouse. It was small and skittery on the floor near the utility closet. I almost screamed like a little girl. Then I slowly closed the door to the closet and gave up on my search for the heating pad I'd put in there months ago. Get hot, little mouse, I'll be over here with tense calf muscles hoping Zhi doesn't punch me in the face.

Back from the East Bay, starring K2 and Zhi

2008-05-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

K2 (singing): Why do you fill me up? Buttercup? Just to da da da? Buttercup?! Da da da da!!
(To Zhi in the bathroom): Are you gonna be ok? Can I go to bed and you won't die?

Zhi (from behind K2's bathroom): mumble mumble

K2: If you're just laying on the floor hugging the toilet, you should go to bed and put a trash can next to you.

Zhi: mumble mumble I puked on your carpet!!

K2: Okay, well try not to strangle yourself in your own vomit, cuz I still want to keep hanging out with you and stuff.

Silence

A few minutes later

Zhi (leaving the bathroom): You don't know me!!!

Holey Bagel

2008-05-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

I went to Holey Bagel today, as usual, and and got an Egg Tasty, as usual. And as I was standing there watching the man make my Egg Tasty, I actually paid attention to how it all went down. First he took an egg, a real egg, and cracked it open and scrambled it. Then he put the scrambled egg into a microwave that for the purposes of this writing we'll refer to as microwave #1. Then he took some bacon and put it into what we'll call microwave #2 while microwave #1 was working on my egg. And then after the egg was pretty much done, he put some cheese on the egg and put the cheesy egg into microwave #3. So I started wondering, how the hell do the people that work at Holey Bagel not have deadly radiation poisoning? There are three microwaves that, as far as I can tell, are pretty hardcore considering everything they cook comes out of these microwaves, and they stand directly in front of the microwaves at a distance of roughly eighteen inches for what has to be seven days a week considering I've only ever seen the same three people working there. So many microwaves! I remember when I was a kid and I'd walk past the microwave while it was on and my mom would flip out on me because she thought something horrible and irreversible was going to happen to me. So what the hell?

Looking inside my dark shriveled heart

2008-04-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

So last week I opened an email from Jenna inviting us to go spend her paycheck with her at the bar. Google presented me with a sidebar ad, for Cougar Bars...and where to find cougars. I feel that sometimes Google looks at my soul and thinks I'm either a 40 year old sex maniac and tells me where to find others like me. Or the Goog correctly guesses my true nature of wedding loving, food-making, 25-year old virgin.

Lets review the email below to see how close Goog got this time.

The email, my amazing butter by nadia dress finally came and I told Chantel (who ordered the same dress) about it, and how sometimes Parker Posey wears it as a cape:

Let's take a closer look:

Hmm...Not bad. Pretty representative. I'm always looking for a product to produce healthy skin. And who doesn't get pissed off when you're trying to spread cold ass butter on toast? I mean, the French must know something right? Who needs refrigeration of dairy products?! Out with it, I say!

But...oh no, it seems goog has miscalculated of what I may be in to:

So! The question here is, what makes goog think I am a gay man in need of lube? I appreciate the fact that its water based (probably non toxic also in case it gets in my mouth), but really? I'm sure BoyButter is excellent, but I don't take it in the ass (on purpose) nor do I need fast and discreet shipping. In any scenario lube is involved personal experience has taught me slow and steady wins the race.

What Happend to the Sky-Diving Pics?

2008-04-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Also, how come Marc is no longer a contributor to the blog? Have we purged all things French from Roomie's Day?

Fake Beef

2008-04-01T11:48:00.001-07:00

I call Shenanigans on this check....since its April 1. Click to zoom, it's freaking deposit slip from Wells Fargo

Facebook

2008-03-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

She changed her Facebook profile's 'Relationship Status'. It now shows up in my "News [read: Stalker] Feed" as an image of a broken heart and a message about how she "went from being 'in a relationship' to 'single.'"

I guess that lends some finality to it. You can make a rash phone call, or have a careless fight, but it takes more effort to change your Facebook status; those update links are hard to find, and small, requiring a steady hand and focused mind to make the changes. More so, I know she doesn't update her profile that frequently. So she had to go there, and update the status.

It's also final because it lets the all of her friends know what the deal is. Maybe some friend of hers, or someone who has a crush on her, but who hasn't talked to her in some time will see it. Maybe they'll decide to take action and console her, or approach her. Regardless, the world (a hyperbole, being the subset of the population that uses Facebook, and the subset of the population that knows her) now knows.

How do I feel about that? I don't know. My Facebook status hasn't changed. I had insisted that we both be listed a 'In a Relationship', but didn't link it to each other, for fear of letting our professional and private lives collide too much (it didn't work, everyone who wanted to know, knew). So my status hasn't changed (as it would automatically had we been cross linked). I have yet to change it, so to the world (again, hyperbole), my life hasn't changed, therefore, I don't know.

What does it mean? Why did my spine twinge and heart sink when I saw the update? I guess I'd call it modern.

100 Years ago, to communicate over distance, you wrote letters, which took days to create and days to deliver. You had time to distill your thoughts and think about what you wanted to say. You packed a whole argument about your whys and hows into a letter, because you knew you weren't going to get interrupted, and so you had this chance to say all that you meant to say. How did your friends find out? You told them, and they told others, via letter. That is if they knew about you at all.

50 Years ago, you did it over the phone, but it wasn't a cell, it was the one line in your house, or wherever there was access. Again, you had to be sure about what you were gonna say because you might not have a chance to repeat it or modify it. Those words you said then and there where the final argument. Your friends found out via the same way, over the phone, in stages.

Now, you send a message via Facebook. It's short, and probably impersonal. All it is is a tiny picture of a broken heart. But now the hyperbole knows. Would you say that the brevity of the message carries less meaning? Less content? I'd argue that it carries that much more. In a world where attention spans and communications are shorter and more attuned, that's all we get. But really, isn't that all we need?

Credit Card Fraud!

2008-03-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the misleading (or perhaps enticing?) title. This post is not about how to commit credit card fraud.

I know there are some people at the Clipper house, and general readers of this blog who fear credit card fraud and stolen card information. There are even those who religiously check their financial accounts daily (ok, maybe only I do that). But did you know those Fat Cat, Big-Government Bureaucrats in Washington actually do some good occasionally? Basically, the gist is this: You can only be liable for up to $50 in charges on a stolen credit card, regardless of situation, or when you report it!

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/atmcard.shtm

Here is an interesting story via The Consumerist about the fucked up shit Credit Card companies will try and get away with if you let them.

What Does Internet Mean To You?

2008-03-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

I know we've had our disagreements between Obama and Clinton, but there are many areas where their positions are similar. Net Neutrality is one of them, and an important reason why John McCain is not an acceptable option.

Sorry to link to another blog post again, but it's easier than writing it again. Go here

Comcast Must Die

2008-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

My travails with Comcast are well documented. I found the following extremely enlightening. It always helps when you find you're not alone (courtesy of The Consumerist):
Comcast Must Die

List of San Francisco Things

2008-02-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

As this past weekend I missed out on seeing the Chinatown New Years Parade for the second year in a row. I made the same pledge last year, but hopefully by putting it on electronic paper, it'll be more likely to happen.

This led me to think about all the things I am missing out on in San Francisco. It's a great city and what not, and so far I've loved living here. But I get the feeling I spend too many of my weekends within a mile of our house. I want to see what else is out there and fully enjoy my time in SF.

Basically, I want to compile a list of things to do in San Francisco. As I do them, I want to check them off. So far, I have:

- See Chinese New Years Parade in person (happens only once a year, also weather has to not suck)
- Go sailing
- Go to Arinell Pizza and Little Star
- Go to the Beach
- Go to a public demonstration, rally, or protest
- Go to a public concert
- Go to an unique public event (a la cardboard fight)

What you got?

My Post About My Other Post

2008-02-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

No one has posted in a while, so I'd thought I'd get this started again. But being too lazy to actually duplicate or expand upon thought, I thought I'd just post something I wrote on my other blog here

If you don't want my idiot old room mates to find out what you always wanted to be, you can just post them here.

Songs that NEED to be in Rock Band!

2008-01-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

If they do not release these songs to download, they had better be planning on including a 'make-your-own' song editor for Rock Band II.

Please feel free to edit this post, or post comments on what you think should be here.

Song - Artist - (Requester)
*Any* - Led Zeppelin - (Jamo)
"Stacy's Mom" - Fountains of Wayne - (Zhi)
"Santa Monica" - Everclear - (Zhi)
"I Will Buy You A New Life" - Everclear - (Zhi)
"I Believe In A Thing Called Love" - The Darkness - (Zhi)
"Helicopter" - Bloc Party - (Zhi) [Although this would be super difficult --Roy]
"Flathead" - The Fratellis - (Zhi)
"Slow Hands" - Interpol - (Zhi)
*Any* - Guns & Roses - (Ben)

That's all I got for now. I tended to stick to bands that are not already in the game, sensing that if a band got some songs into the game, then the rest of their repritoire should be fair game.

I was also gonna put some stuff by Hendrix, but I couldn't imagine how the game would be able to handle the guitar riffs without exploding in a cloud of sparks.

What you guys got?

Mexico

2007-12-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I just came back from a week-long Mexico trip. Here are some highlights:

Things I did:
Snorkeling & Booze Cruise
Para-sailing
Horseback riding
Sightseeing cruise
Timeshare presentation
Spa
Slept
Eating lots of seafood, lobster especially
Read some
Relaxing

Highlight: El Squid Roe
El Squid Roe (http://www.elsquidroe.com/) is a great party bar in Cabo San Lucas. It's like every frat party and college bar I've ever been to, rolled into one place and then glitzed up with a bunch of neon lights. There are lots of funny(/corny) signs on the walls, jello shot girls who fondle you with each shot purchased, creepy old man party DJ, and a crazy eclectic selection of music. We went there twice and one on occasion, the play list included "Sweet Home Alabama", "Staying Alive", "Shout!", and "In Da Club" among others. Good times had by all.

Highlight: Tequila
Tequila, so I've learned, is a slow acting alcohol. You can go home after drinking straight shots and margaritas feeling fine. Even still be totally upright and conscious going to sleep. Only after waking up will you realize that the previous night is a total blur. Where are my pants?

Highlight: Wonder Years
I saw Fred Savage. We were at Lorenzillo's (http://www.lorenzillos.com.mx/cabos/index.html), which by the way is a great lobster restaurant, and saw a big dinner party where everyone was introducing themselves to some guy named Fred who was getting married. I look over and see some smallish man with curly brown/black hair. Then I hear his voice and I put it all together. It was Fred Savage. Apparently he's getting married or something. I don't know what it is about celebrity, but it just makes me act different. I have no particular feeling towards Fred Savage. I liked his shows (Wonder Years, Working), but I don't particularly have any need to talk to him or acknowledge him in any way, but I just couldn't turn away. And it was strange to see him in Cabos, but see Sammy Hagar in Sausalito. Weird.

Highlight: Beaches. Warm, empty, beautiful, beaches.
Beaches everywhere, and not crowded at all. Amazing.

Highlight: Pueblo Bonita Pacifica (http://www.pueblobonito.com/)
So nice. All the rooms have great views. Service was great. Spa was amazing. The only qualm I have is that the concierges did not always contract with the most reliable of activities companies.

Lowlight: CaboWabo is full of old white people who should not be drinking and dancing

Lowlight: Sat through a 3 hour timeshare presentation.

Overall, lots of fun.

Stella Is Teaching Zhi How To Hustle

2007-11-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

Just thought you all should know.

Marc looks like a rat

2007-11-21T13:43:00.001-08:00

but not just any rat. I'm not saying he looks like some common sewer scum. Instead, I say he looks like the star of a major motion picture film.

As evidence:
Remy: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0382932/RAT_122.jpg.html

Marc: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yzVYkDtFT0E/Rv85TvV_ZUI/AAAAAAAAAD0/FXQwRXKpsb4/s1600-h/marc_number_1.jpg

QED. And once everyone sees the movie, you will all agree.

Marc -- Just accept it.

Marc looks like a rat

2007-11-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

but not just any rat. I'm not saying he looks like some common sewer scum. Instead, I say he looks like the start of a major motion picture film.

As evidence:
Remy: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0382932/RAT_122.jpg.html

Marc: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yzVYkDtFT0E/Rv85TvV_ZUI/AAAAAAAAAD0/FXQwRXKpsb4/s1600-h/marc_number_1.jpg

QED. And once everyone sees the movie, you will all agree.

Marc -- Just accept it.

what I will be doing this weekend

2007-10-03T13:30:00.001-07:00

I heart the blue angels. Also, I heart waiting for the blue angels and drinking at 10 in the morning. I know you guys drink sparxxmosas, however may I also suggest the hobomosa (beer +oj) also delicious via beer bong.

hours since i last saw carmina

2007-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

108

weekly picture of marc

2007-09-29T22:48:00.000-07:00