Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Last night I failed (and succeeded)
Instead of being a good productive writer and staying home and getting some work done, I instead went to Commerce Casino (maybe the win on Saturday night proved less-than-satisfactory in keeping the gambling vice at bay).
It's about a 20 minute drive, and I determined to play poker (something I have never done at a casino before, only on-line and in home games). It's mildly imtimidating, and the vast majority of people working at this particular casino don't speak English as a first language. It was slightly difficult figuring out where to go, and am pretty certain now that I didn't get to the right place exactly. I had wanted to play $2/$4 limit hold'em, but only found the $3/$6 tables. With $100 to burn through, I just resolved to play at the $3/$6 table, and see what might happen.
Also, I was high as a kite at the time, so communicating probably wasn't my strongest suit either, in defense of the casino staff.
I played at a table with eight other people, and it was sort of exhilirating and boring at the same time. The game moved much slower than Allen's home game and on-line gambling, but felt more palpable because of the stakes.
I bought in for $100, and left with just under that ($89 to be specific). I was pretty pleased with how I did considering I had never been before.
Now (of course) like any good drug, I want to go back. I spoke with the poker desk at the casino today and they told me specifically where to find the $2/$4 tables, so I can play longer and risk less money... Stay tuned for word on if I go there tonight.
Now, I've got to get back to work on projects for C. Jay.
It's about a 20 minute drive, and I determined to play poker (something I have never done at a casino before, only on-line and in home games). It's mildly imtimidating, and the vast majority of people working at this particular casino don't speak English as a first language. It was slightly difficult figuring out where to go, and am pretty certain now that I didn't get to the right place exactly. I had wanted to play $2/$4 limit hold'em, but only found the $3/$6 tables. With $100 to burn through, I just resolved to play at the $3/$6 table, and see what might happen.
Also, I was high as a kite at the time, so communicating probably wasn't my strongest suit either, in defense of the casino staff.
I played at a table with eight other people, and it was sort of exhilirating and boring at the same time. The game moved much slower than Allen's home game and on-line gambling, but felt more palpable because of the stakes.
I bought in for $100, and left with just under that ($89 to be specific). I was pretty pleased with how I did considering I had never been before.
Now (of course) like any good drug, I want to go back. I spoke with the poker desk at the casino today and they told me specifically where to find the $2/$4 tables, so I can play longer and risk less money... Stay tuned for word on if I go there tonight.
Now, I've got to get back to work on projects for C. Jay.
Just a thought
Cable TV news is most interesting when the person conducting the interview does not know the answer to the question they're asking. They can certainly know about the different answers, they can certainly have an idea of what the answer might be, but to ask a question simply because they assume their audience does not know the answer irrates me.
The Air France flight in Toronto has been declared "a miracle" by MSNBC.
mir·a·cle
( P ) Pronunciation Key (mr-kl)
n.
An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God
In case you wondered what exactly a miracle is...
The Air France flight in Toronto has been declared "a miracle" by MSNBC.
mir·a·cle
( P ) Pronunciation Key (mr-kl)
n.
An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God
In case you wondered what exactly a miracle is...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Wedding crash
I went to the movies, to see "Wedding Crashers." I thought it sucked so badly that I left. I tried and tried and tried to endure the movie, but couldn't get into it. Most prevelently, Owen Wilson's hair and skin and squinty eyes were just freaking me out. That, and I can't stand Vince Vaughan. The overacting was obviously a choice, but one that grated my nerves. The one line that got a laugh out of me ("I am your starboard and your port") didn't get a laugh from anyone else in the movie (approx. 20 people). And I really wanted to like it.
Back home now, and watching coverage of the plane crash in Toronto. Countdown with Keith Olberman is sort of stupid. They have created a show that is supposed to go from the fifth most important story to the most important, but because that's such a stupid idea they have no choice to make the top story "Our fifth biggest story of the day."
Oh, and another thing that's pissed me off recently about the news. CNN, after John Bolton was appointed to the ambassadorship of the UN, ran a feature that used the phrase, "Just who is the man behind the mustache?"
Now I'm home, eating swiss cheese and salami on french bread, and thinking about taking a nap before doing some writing tonight.
And I'm high. At 5:00 p.m. But I did do some grocery shopping and made a deposit at the bank.
Back home now, and watching coverage of the plane crash in Toronto. Countdown with Keith Olberman is sort of stupid. They have created a show that is supposed to go from the fifth most important story to the most important, but because that's such a stupid idea they have no choice to make the top story "Our fifth biggest story of the day."
Oh, and another thing that's pissed me off recently about the news. CNN, after John Bolton was appointed to the ambassadorship of the UN, ran a feature that used the phrase, "Just who is the man behind the mustache?"
Now I'm home, eating swiss cheese and salami on french bread, and thinking about taking a nap before doing some writing tonight.
And I'm high. At 5:00 p.m. But I did do some grocery shopping and made a deposit at the bank.
What's that mean? and...
President Bush said that "intelligent design" should be taught in schools alongside evolution. Wht the f**k is "intelligent design?" I'm assuming that's a buzzword for creationism, but I sort of hate it. I guess I hate the re-mincing of words to make them more palatable to, I'm assuming, stupid people.
On NPR a couple of weeks ago, a middle school-based police officer (yes, they need actual gun-toting police officers in the middle schools in L.A.) said that he tried to talk with the children during nutrition. "Nutrition." Did you know that lunch is no longer served in L.A. public schools? They serve nutrition. Like, "Do you want to meet for nutrition?" "We had a power nutrition with the agent from WMA." "I skipped nutrition and grabbed a candy bar mid-afternoon."
I took Tessie for a walk this morning, and there was a beautiful golden retriever running across streets and through intersections. I was able to grab the dog when he was sniffing Tessie's ass and get Tessie's leash on him. We walked up and down the streets until we found the pup's owner. It felt great to get the dog back to his owner.
Not sure about the rest of the day... I'm on the fence about the beach, but am thinking I'm not going to do the trip down to Huntington. I might try and see Wedding Crashers again; hopefully the theater won't have another fire.
On NPR a couple of weeks ago, a middle school-based police officer (yes, they need actual gun-toting police officers in the middle schools in L.A.) said that he tried to talk with the children during nutrition. "Nutrition." Did you know that lunch is no longer served in L.A. public schools? They serve nutrition. Like, "Do you want to meet for nutrition?" "We had a power nutrition with the agent from WMA." "I skipped nutrition and grabbed a candy bar mid-afternoon."
I took Tessie for a walk this morning, and there was a beautiful golden retriever running across streets and through intersections. I was able to grab the dog when he was sniffing Tessie's ass and get Tessie's leash on him. We walked up and down the streets until we found the pup's owner. It felt great to get the dog back to his owner.
Not sure about the rest of the day... I'm on the fence about the beach, but am thinking I'm not going to do the trip down to Huntington. I might try and see Wedding Crashers again; hopefully the theater won't have another fire.
So why the name?
An American Bystander. I'm not 100% sure what the name means, but in my head it seems like a comfortable moniker to describe the way I feel when I watch cable TV news.
Missing people, missing people, missing people.
I want to see if I can get the logic that was just presented on the O'Reilly Factor straight.
There has been considerable criticism of the newsmedia and its liberal coverage of the Natalee Holloway case. At the same time, they media has been criticized for not covering the disappearance of the black girl from Philly and the hottie groom. The reason the press isn't covering the black girl and the hottie is... their families aren't putting themselves in front of the camera the way the Holloway family is. Now please don't get me wrong, I don't blame the Holloway family for what they're doing; God knows if my child went missing I would do everything in my power to bring them back. But who decides what's news? Greta Van What's-her-name was O'Reilly's guest (don't get me started on the press interviewing the press), and that was her logic, we cover the missing person because the family puts themselves out there. How is that news?
I'm not exactly sure if that made sense... I'll re-read it tomorrow and make edits. Or not.
Missing people, missing people, missing people.
I want to see if I can get the logic that was just presented on the O'Reilly Factor straight.
There has been considerable criticism of the newsmedia and its liberal coverage of the Natalee Holloway case. At the same time, they media has been criticized for not covering the disappearance of the black girl from Philly and the hottie groom. The reason the press isn't covering the black girl and the hottie is... their families aren't putting themselves in front of the camera the way the Holloway family is. Now please don't get me wrong, I don't blame the Holloway family for what they're doing; God knows if my child went missing I would do everything in my power to bring them back. But who decides what's news? Greta Van What's-her-name was O'Reilly's guest (don't get me started on the press interviewing the press), and that was her logic, we cover the missing person because the family puts themselves out there. How is that news?
I'm not exactly sure if that made sense... I'll re-read it tomorrow and make edits. Or not.
I like this blog
Monday, August 01, 2005
The actual end of the day
My stepfather Keith is in Los Angeles for a couple of days for work, and met me in Hollywood for dinner. We went to Yamashiro up in the Hollywood Hills, a CalAsian restaurant with a killer view.
Prior to dinner, I was able to get in a walk up Runyon with Tessie, and have perfected the 8-minute "strip shower and dress."
Dinner was interesting. We talked for a while about what I'm up to in Los Angeles, and why I moved out here. From there, we talked at length about my older brother Michael and his and his wife's horrible treatment of my mother. It was eye-opening to see him so incensed by their actions, and made me feel that my mother is well-protected by him. They might have one of the quirkier relationships I've encountered, but best as I can tell it's going to go the distance.
We also talked about my younger brother and what's in store for him. It's looking like he'll land a job at JVC, working in sales. I think it'll be good for him to get into the business, make some solid money, marry that girl of his, etc.
I keep expecting Stephen to call me from Las Vegas, saying that I've got six hours to be at his wedding... Ah, an older brother with a Vegas addiction can dream, right?
Caught up with my friend Mary from Seattle today, which was great, and shared a couple of laughs with Courtney. (She saw "Must Love Dogs," said it sucked, and I shared with her the fact that Hillary Duff has a greatest hits album. Can anything be more disburbing??)
Going to bed. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but will hopefully make a drive t the beach wtih Tessie. I've got to spend some time cleaning up my desk and doing deposits, etc. Yeah, that'll happen...
Prior to dinner, I was able to get in a walk up Runyon with Tessie, and have perfected the 8-minute "strip shower and dress."
Dinner was interesting. We talked for a while about what I'm up to in Los Angeles, and why I moved out here. From there, we talked at length about my older brother Michael and his and his wife's horrible treatment of my mother. It was eye-opening to see him so incensed by their actions, and made me feel that my mother is well-protected by him. They might have one of the quirkier relationships I've encountered, but best as I can tell it's going to go the distance.
We also talked about my younger brother and what's in store for him. It's looking like he'll land a job at JVC, working in sales. I think it'll be good for him to get into the business, make some solid money, marry that girl of his, etc.
I keep expecting Stephen to call me from Las Vegas, saying that I've got six hours to be at his wedding... Ah, an older brother with a Vegas addiction can dream, right?
Caught up with my friend Mary from Seattle today, which was great, and shared a couple of laughs with Courtney. (She saw "Must Love Dogs," said it sucked, and I shared with her the fact that Hillary Duff has a greatest hits album. Can anything be more disburbing??)
Going to bed. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but will hopefully make a drive t the beach wtih Tessie. I've got to spend some time cleaning up my desk and doing deposits, etc. Yeah, that'll happen...
End of the day
A completely uneventful day, though I did have a long and fun conversation with my friend Nadette Stasa. She read through a list of goals she'd like to accomplish by November 17 (an arbitrary date), and the thought of her list is sort of kicking my ass.
There is so much I need to accomplish, from the ridiculously mundane to the rather important.
A sample:
Control the vices
Clean my apartment
Clip Tessie's nails
Get my gas turned back on
Balance my checkbook
Complete a spec script (any spec script!)
Organize show and project ideas neatly
Buy a new desk for the apartment
Lose weight (ugh)
Find a boyfriend
Get a haircut
Deposit my paychecks
Organize my to-do list
Do my laundry
File file file
Sign with an agency
And lots of other things I'd like to accomplish:
Skydive
Throw a housewarming party (maybe a Christmas party??)
Shoot a short film
Produce Streetcar
Befriend a celebrity (silly, I know...)
Run a marathon (far-fetched, but ya never know)
But it all starts with my logging off of here, cleaning up C. Jay's office, and heading home to take Tessie for a walk. Hopefully we can pull down a Runyon Canyon walk before dinner with Keith (whose flight is supposedly 2 hours late).
There is so much I need to accomplish, from the ridiculously mundane to the rather important.
A sample:
Control the vices
Clean my apartment
Clip Tessie's nails
Get my gas turned back on
Balance my checkbook
Complete a spec script (any spec script!)
Organize show and project ideas neatly
Buy a new desk for the apartment
Lose weight (ugh)
Find a boyfriend
Get a haircut
Deposit my paychecks
Organize my to-do list
Do my laundry
File file file
Sign with an agency
And lots of other things I'd like to accomplish:
Skydive
Throw a housewarming party (maybe a Christmas party??)
Shoot a short film
Produce Streetcar
Befriend a celebrity (silly, I know...)
Run a marathon (far-fetched, but ya never know)
But it all starts with my logging off of here, cleaning up C. Jay's office, and heading home to take Tessie for a walk. Hopefully we can pull down a Runyon Canyon walk before dinner with Keith (whose flight is supposedly 2 hours late).
