Clunkers

"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had thought about going home to the Valley with my brother this weekend to help him on his car buying task, but I decided to stay in town for multiple reasons, the least of which being that my own car still needed work. I had thought that all the tire drama was behind me, but the used tire I had purchased ended up being a dud with an unrepairable hole. I guess you get what you pay for right. I ended up ordering a new tire (different brand name to save me a hundred bucks) and it came in on Saturday. I took my car in Saturday morning and got the tire mounted and finally had that trouble taken care of once and for all. (crossing fingers again.)

After my morning in a repair shop waiting room, I went to get a much deserved car wash. Nothing like a haircut and car wash to make you feel like a new man. The weekend was quiet, but went well. A lot of thoughts to process and sort out, though for the most part I just ignored them. A friend of mine told me that a quiet weekend was probably a very good thing. I think I agree. I also got some great news which really made my weekend.

I have been wanting to get my father a car for the last few years, but have found myself unable to for various reasons. It was unreasonable and unsafe for him to be driving that old van he has. I've failed different times I've tried and know a part of that failure has been my priorities or at the least my willingness to do more. This time Abram and I came up with a plan to trade in my Dad's '92 van under the Cash for Clunker's program and buy him a new car. If you only knew how much we have talked about this. Abram went down to the Valley on Friday to make it happen. To our dismay, the Plan A we laid out failed and even our backup Plan B failed soon after. Filled with the groom of failure, Abram and my Dad went to have a steak lunch to raise their spirits. During that time, instead of conceding defeat, we came up with another last chance Plan C and they went back to the dealership to make it work. In the end, my father ended up with a new, well priced, economical car that will serve him well. My brother and I had just bought my dad a new car. The old van will now be destroyed and the proceeds were used to lower the cost of his new car. I am glad to see it go. Of course the true test will be making the payments each month, but that we will be happy to do. Below is my dad's new car. My sister Ana and her kids were in town for the weekend. They had a great time on their vacation at the Cowboy's training camp and the water park. They came over on Sunday and we got to visit. It was Andrew's first time visiting since we had been in Austin. Too bad they have to go back to school so soon.

This weekend was UFC 101. The fights were pretty good, but nothing too impressive. Maybe my expectations were just too high for this one. The main fight ended too quickly. Abram brought home a dryer from my mom's house. Now we just need a washer and we will have our laundry services up and running again. Buying a washer on craigslist isn't very easy since most people seem to be selling them in pairs. Luckily, I sent my laundry to the valley to get done with Abram, so I can still take my time to find the right purchase.

The quote preceding my entry above I picked because it reminded me of a good friend of mine. A friend that I was recently told that I speak about with too much admiration at times. Sometimes you run across a person that you can think out loud with, bat ideas around with and compare your worldview against. A person willing to indulge your random thoughts and debate them to its conclusion if necessary. You feel like you learn something from conversations. In my experience, that is a rare find, though I have been lucky enough have many friends under this category over the years. I guess the quote got me thinking about those friends today and how lucky I am to have them. The quote also describes how I see my blog, which is me just thinking aloud about the trivial.

Dogs As Smart As 2-Year-Old Kids: Study
The finding in the study is based on a language development test, revealing average dogs can learn 165 words (similar to a 2-year-old child), including signals and gestures, and dogs in the top 20 percent in intelligence can learn 250 words. Imagine how differently you would see the world if you saw all dogs as little 2 year old children walking around?

The 'Nightman Cometh' to a city near you
It's almost time for a new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which probably means more inappropriate touches from Dennis, another bad relationship for Sweet Dee and some hilarious, nonsensical rants from Charlie. This is a great show that you should watch. The 'Nightman Cometh' episode is one of my favorites. I would love to see they play they are doing, but it isn't coming near Austin.

A friend of mine shared this link on Healthcare on Facebook. http://imgur.com/5RkJK.png Here is the image below, but you should click on it or the link to be able to read it. I hate when people throw the word Socialism around. I remember being in history class in high school learning about Joseph McCarthy and thinking that arguments like the ones he used would not be able to stand in this day and age. People must have been so dumb back then I thought. How wrong was I?

My friend went on to make the point that "someone who claims the government doesn't do anything right is making a pretty strong statement. He doesn't have to quit using all gov't programs to avoid being a hypocrite. He just has to be able to propose an alternative means of accomplishing the same thing that is at least as effective and efficient." That seems like a fair compromise to me.

Bill Maher: New Rule: Smart President ≠ Smart Country gives good context for this as well I think.

disappointed for different reasons

Emotional Bonds

"The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom." - H. L. Mencken

It feels good to be healthy again. I now need to get a good jog in so that I can get back into my routine of becoming more healthy. Though this Time magazine article made me feel pretty depressed about the results you get from running. Exercise Won't Make You Thin? I'm sure it won't affect my motivation. No one else I know who has been in contact with me has gotten sick, so I'm proud of myself for not spreading the fun. I hope I'll be immune for the rest of the year.

My sister Ana is coming up to Austin this Sunday after her and her kids go the Dallas Cowboy's Training camp and visit family in San Antonio. I think they are going to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark as well. It should be a nice vacation before the kids have to go back to school. Their summer went by pretty fast I think. Family vacations are memories people keep for a very long time I think. Or maybe I did because we didn't go on a lot of them growing up. Hell, I moved to DC as an adult because it was a family vacation I remembered fondly. I had to pass up on a trip to DC next weekend because I don't have much vacation time left for the year. I have a lot of friends I would like to see from up there.

Sometimes I like the places that good conversations take you. I was talking to a friend the other day and she said something similar to, "he said one of those vague guy statements that mean everything and nothing at the same time." I responded with the fact that it reminded me of one of my favorite song lyrics from college by this band Kara's Flowers called As Things Collide. I got the mp3 from my friend Rick I think and had it on one of my Summer mix Cds I had made. I listened to is a lot. I think I even wrote an entry about it many years ago. Here is my favorite part of the lyrics with the part that she reminded me of bolded.

You have this way of dipping in and out of sight as things collide
Bridges burning softly in the night
And you have this way of falling in and out of time as it goes by
Passing silently with no goodbye
And I've spoken with all the other angels
They don't know what to do
And I agree with them whole-heartedly, I do

Telegram came today from a friend saying
Where in the hell have you been?
Where are you goin?
I said I don't know, does the loneliness show,And if so does it ever end?
And I've spoken with all the other angels
And they don't know what to do
And I agree with them whole-heartedly, I do

You have this way of meaning everything and nothing to me at the same time
Returning my hellos with goodbyes

After doing some research I found out that while they were in high school, the four original members of Maroon 5 played in a garage band called Kara's Flowers, which was active from 1994 to 2001. I did not know this was the same band and was very surprised to find this out, but I liked this song way before Maroon 5 was created. Simple things in life that make you happy.

John Hughes Dead: Director Dies Suddenly At 59
This prolific director of such culturally significant films as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Pretty in Pink died suddenly on Thursday of a heart attack while taking a morning walk during a trip to Manhattan to visit family. He helped give my favorite actor, John Cusack a start. He hasn't done anything substantial since the 90s, but man his work influenced my growing up. His movies are so ingrained in the popular culture that it's hardly worth it to exalt each one in detail. I'm sure if you use Facebook, friends will be posting their fond memories.

So I was about to get a haircut on Thursday when I got some feedback from some friends about my current style. It was somewhat negative, but put in a kind way. I have been trying to grow my hair out as long as possible. My goal was for a style similar to that of the character from Shopgirl below. It was quickly pointed out to me that one, his hair texture is different and that that style would not happen for me, and two, his head is oval and mine is round making it more of an apples and oranges type of situation. I thought it would be a cool hairstyle to have. By the way, this is also my favorite scene of the movie.

Ignoring any compliments about my hair when it was short, I did not want to give up what I have put so much time into. I decided to take my case to the hairstylist and let them help me make the decision. So I share with you my current progress. Here is my before picture: This is me and my Dos XX. It should give you a general idea of how long it has grown. So I went in for a haircut during my lunch break to a place that is somewhat expensive. I explained my situation to the stylist, and asked if there was a middle ground maybe. He told me it would still be a long time before I could do much as far as length and because of that I decided to cut it short and return to reality. Here is my after picture:

Well it is back to normal. I think I look a bit angry there though. I'm happy though.

So Congress passed the $2 billion extension of the Cash for Clunkers Program. Senate approves 'Cash for Clunkers' extension This works out great because on Saturday my brother and my father are going to buy a car. I hope it all works out and Abram gets a brand new car. This will result in my Dad also getting a car and this has been a goal I've had for a very long time. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all goes.

Ok, I finally accept that the NBC show Kings is over. A note from Kings creator, Michael Green This letter from the creator pretty much explains how there is no chance that it might get picked up by another network. The offices have been cleaned out, sets cleared and everyone has moved on. It was great while it lasted.

In more positive news, True Blood has been confirmed for a third season on HBO. I'd give you a link, but I'm sure you can trust me on this. This show is getting better every week. I'm very much enjoying it. The episode from last week is still my favorite. I like that the story has expanded from a few characters to more characters taking a much broader approach.

The following article discuses a book about the link between Sex and Music. Oxytocin is kind of famous to scientists because it’s the hormone that’s released when people have an orgasm. The evolutionary thinking behind that is that humans have among the longest periods of raising their children of any species—their children remain in the nest until they’re fairly old. Biologists argue that the purpose of the orgasm and the accompanying oxytocin is to create an emotional bond between two people so they’ll stay together. Well, it turns out there’s evidence that when people listen to music together or sing together, oxytocin is released then, too.

Over 50 Percent Of Women Are Embarrassed By Their Feet: Study
You wouldn't think this considering how many of them wear flip flops. The article states that the foot shame for example shows up at the spa. Spa employees nationwide say clients habitually apologize during treatments for their corns, Sahara-dry heels, ingrown toenails and hairy toes. This is something I would have never guessed. Women are indeed complicated.

Rachel Maddow: Big Money Pulling the Strings of Protests
I don't know what to think about these staged medical reform protests. I hate the fact that the hate and anger are manufactured by corporate interests, but it is also a testament to how open Democrats are to hear from all sides. I think one Congressman put it best when he said that he didn't care if people came to share their point of view, but when they yell and not let other speak that is what bothers him. For those people just full of hate and anger on their own, well they should go and have their viewpoints shared, but they don't have to be jerks about it and make a scene. It isn't productive, I mean do you want Code Pink breaking up each Townhall, there is still a war going on.

There has been a lot of good news this week. Thursday, Sonia Sotomayor became a Justice and our first Latina Justice of the Supreme Court. Sotomayor Confirmed To Supreme Court
She becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve. I am very happy about this. Too bad she is a moderate replacing a moderate on the Court. I still can't wait for a Liberal Progressive, Left Justice to be appointed. This I will not give up hope for.

I'm very much hoping that I am wrong

How to Spend My Day

"Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV." - Jerry Seinfeld

I feel like I'm at a crossroads, but this isn't the type where all the options are very clear. It is not an A, B or C decision. Usually this comes with a big change in your life, but in this case, everything seems normal and ordinary. Yet, for some reason I feel that the decisions I make now are going to have a big impact on the days if not years to come. Maybe I'm ascribing too much import to my present, but this is a strong feeling I have had recently. The tendency is to take the risk instead of playing it safe. The worst course of action is inaction I think. What action exactly, I'm not sure of. I'm hoping for the best.

Monday I missed work because I was home sick. I thought I had a cold, but I'm sure it is the flu (during the summer) since my body aches and I have a fever. One thing I hate to blog about is being sick. Mainly because I understand that when I'm sick it feels like the most important thing in the world, but once I'm better it just seems petty and it's something I don't enjoy reading back on. Plus, I generally don't enjoy hearing someone complain about their own sickness, so why would I want to do that to someone else. Hence I'll just keep it at a mention since it is on my mind. Or...I could talk about how I could not sleep last night because of how terrible I felt. Even your dreams are bad when you feel this way. Today is going to be the last day of this I have decided. I'm glad work isn't too busy this week.

A really cool thing I saw on the news on Tuesday was the breaking news that the Journalists were freed from North Korea. How great is Bill Clinton? The Right is already jumping on the administration and trying to paint this in a negative light, but my God, he got them out safe and sound. Clinton is the highest-level US representative to visit the country in nearly ten years. This is amazing news and I'm happy to see a new day in diplomatic relations.

Tuesday Netflix sent me Shopgirl. I think I'm going to watch it tonight with some chicken noodle soup. It came well recommended, but I have no idea what to expect. Cinema Paradiso is next on my list. Abram recommended True Romance (1993) with Christian Slater. It is on my Tivo for when I'm bored. I've decreased my tv watching substantially this summer. I think it has to do with the fall season not starting yet. True Blood is probably the only show I'm catching regularly right now.

Ever wonder how you spend your day compares to how others spend their day. Check this out:How Different Groups Spend Their Day- Interactive Graphic- NYTimes.com: (via xo, claudia) People watch a lot of tv and movies. My categories spend very little time doing housework and taking care of family. So many extra hours of the day I must have. I think I need more sleep.

One thing I enjoy learning about is reading people and how they interact. I'm pretty decent at this when it doesn't involve me in the situation. There are so many things you can pick up on from body language, eyes, to even the undertones to what a person is saying. They all give you context and convey some meaning. It is like mixing what you learn in psychology with sociology. The other day I saw this really cool interaction where a guy was paying attention to a girl who was completely indifferent to him. He would try different things to get her attention, but she cared more about texting than his company. He seemed used to it and resigned to accept his fate, but the disappointment still came through.

One thing I hate about cell phones is that long message you have to wait for to leave a voicemail. Then I ran across this article: Take Back The Beep, Part II What I took away from the article was that there are secret codes to bypass the obnoxious instruction messages. It’s [* for Verizon], [1 for Sprint] and [# for T-Mobile or AT&T]. Of course, it requires you to know in advance which carrier the person you’re calling uses, which is unrealistic. Luckily, you will probably know this for people you talk to regularly. I always use the one for Sprint, but I didn't know the other ones.

I thought about creating a B430 list since I don't have a lot of time left. I have ideas for what I want to do in my life list, but before I'm 30, I'm not too sure of. I guess it depends on what is realistic considering the time constraints. I've done a lot of the things I have wanted to do. I have no need to go sky diving, regular diving, or bungee jumping. I do have a few ideas in mind. Maybe the fact that my list isn't very long is a good thing.

An Ohio judge has convicted a minor league pitcher of injuring a fan when he threw a baseball during an on-field melee in Dayton last year. Julio Castillo, Cubs Minor Leaguer, Found Guilty Of Injuring Fan I was talking to a friend the other day about this incident and was wondering how it would turn out. There seemed to be a distinction between how the ball was thrown.

While perusing the web I ran into this advice. Much easier to say than to follow, but I enjoyed the description. I feel like I know a lot of people in this situation or who have been in it at some point in their lives. I'm sure some people reading this could identify. "But one thing led to another, and in some ways, this time I was the one acting out. It was less self-sabotage and more brimming resentment. After all he’d put me through, why I had I blinded myself to the past and let him convince me to come back? Did I really think things would be so dramatically different? Why in the hell did I break up with a great new guy to get back together with my ex? I started being awful. He did, too. It became rapidly clear that no matter how much love we had for one other, the fact was we were simply not compatible. And that’s the root of why we broke up in the first place." (via The Frisky)

A report found that Middle-Income Family Spends $221,000 To Raise Baby. Families with more income spend more money on child-related costs, the report said. A two-parent family that earns less than $57,000 annually will spend about $160,000 on a child from birth through high school. Those with an income between $57,000 and $99,000 spend about $221,000 and those with higher incomes are expected to spend roughly $367,000 through age 17. Moral of the story, children are expensive and this doesn't even include college. I'm told they are worth it though.

My brainstorming has been going well. It gives me something to do while I'm in bed getting better. I've always wanted to be the person with the unfinished novel in my desk. If only I could learn to write thoughtfully and correctly again. My editor is going to have their job cut out for them. My outline is going well, but I don't feel like I have that right idea yet. I take the time each week to write a blog entry, so finding the time isn't a good excuse. Maybe I just need a person to validate my ideas, give me confidence to flesh them out instead of feeling like I'm wasting time pouring out trite cliches on the page. Having a person who believes in you really does make a big difference.

glad it led me to you

Autumn isn't coming soon enough

Summer: “One day I woke up and I just knew.”
Tom: “Knew what?”
Summer: “What I was never sure of with you.”
- 500 Days of Summer

I'm a big fan of the eventful weekend as opposed to the quiet restful one. I've had more of the former as of late. The theme of the weekend was celebrating with Christina and Adriana during their last days in Austin. Too bad Caro and Oscar were out of town. I'm glad there are always so many things to do in Austin.

Friday, after work, I came home and passed out because I was still tired from the piano bar the night before. Once I woke up, the I met up with the girls and their friend John downtown. The night was a bit slow and my conversation skills were not at their best, but my Dos Equis were very refreshing. I'm not a fan of bars with very loud music. I can't hold a conversation like that and people still try to communicate so it's not like you are there to just drink and listen to the blasting music.

Saturday morning I made a trip to north Austin to buy a used tire for my car in that never ending saga. It is a bit different from what I have, but the size seems to be right. The price was definitely right so I'm not worried about being scammed. I still need to take it to have it mounted and replace my ticking time bomb of a tire. On my way down to Buda, I stopped by Red Lobster to have lunch. That is one of my favorite places to eat. Abram spent the day on an 8 mile hike with his dog Brooks. After his hike, we went to see the movie (500) Days of Summer. This I will talk about in a bit. It was my first time to the Barton Creek theater, even though I've been to that mall many many times.

Sunday was Happy Friendship Day! Yeah, I didn't know that either, but I hope all my friends had a good one. I woke up early, but sick. I didn't drink on Saturday at all, but I had a sore throat nevertheless. I spent the day watching movies at home while I recuperated, including Fierce Creatures, Tron, and He is just not that into you. The last movie had a quote that reminded me of one from 500 days: Anna: "I can't do any of this. I mean what you are saying and what you are offering is what what every girl wants, it is what I always wanted, it is just...." Jarrad: "That you don't want it with me." (silence)

I understand why the movie got bad reviews. I hated the ending. The unmarried couple should of stayed unmarried and happy and the friends should have stayed friends and not been the exception. It just detracted from the point of the movie. I liked the part where the guy said, "I like you the way I like a basset hound." and the line, "I'd rather be like that, than be like you." And don't forget:
Neil: Or... There's a possibility that I mean it when I say I don't believe in marriage.

Beth: Bullshit! Bullshit! Come on! Bullshit for every women that has been told by some man that he doesn't believe in marriage, and then 6 months later he's married to some 24 year old that he met at the gym. That's just... It's bullshit!

Here are my articles of interest I ran into on Friday:

Scientists Discover Why We Never Forget How to ride a Bike These results are very important for people interested in how the brain processes information and produces and stores memories. I guess you really do not forget. It make me think of other things people compare to riding a bike. Biking had been on my mind.

Marijuana’s Impact On Brain Function Minimal, New Study Says “Minimal evidence of major effects of cannabis on brain structure has been reported,” the study found, noting that marijuana users and those of the control group perform similarly on cognitive tasks. It didn't discuss how it saps your motivation though. Can't kill you, doesn't impair brain function, but illegal.

As I had mentioned, this weekend I saw (500) Days of Summer. For those of you that have not seen it yet, you should. It isn't available everywhere, but I'm sure it will be soon considering the reviews it is getting. I don't mean to get into spoilers, but you should probably stop reading now just in case.
I liked the movie a lot. The movie is a simple one. Boy meets girl, Boy falls in love, Girl doesn't. I think the Narrator puts it best as: Voice-over: This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he met the one. The girl, Summer Finn, did not share this belief. You should know up front this is not a love story.

This independent original romantic comedy is clever, intelligent and understands that we mark our lives by our scrapes with love and not by the happy endings. It's a story you've seen or heard a million times, but it is told in such an inventive and relatable way that it almost feels like the first time. I thought the movie was able to capture the elation and anxiety of new love, along with the terror. The profound sense that you have never felt more alive and the occasional wish that you could die on the spot. I feel like the experience was good for Tom and one that people need. I especially liked the ending scene on bench.

My favorite scene though is the split screen "expectations" versus "reality" scene at the party. The way this was done was amazing. This was the climax of the movie. I liked the camera work and the chronology in which the story was told. I liked how the movie wasn't about the ending, but about what happened in between.

In his review, Roger Ebert said, "One thing men love is to instruct women. If a woman wants to enchant a man, she is wise to play his pupil. Men fall for this." I liked this comment. Everyone wants to think that they are special and unique and bring something to the table that no one else does. The main character really thought he was different, he was the one that was going to bring down her wall, but he wasn't the one even though may have gotten farther than most. I think the whole idea of wanting to bring down someone's wall is what keeps you from doing it. It is the person who isn't preoccupied with that that always seems to find themselves behind it.

I've collected a list of my favorite quotes from the movie as I often do. Enjoy:

Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman.

Narrator: This is a boy meets girl story. It is not a love story.

Tom: It's official. I'm in love with Summer.

Tom: What happens when you fall in love?
Summer: You believe in that?
Tom: It's love, it's not Santa Claus.

Rachel Hansen: Just some guy she met at the gym with Brad Pitt's face and Jesus' abs.

Rachel Hansen: Just because she's likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate.

Rachel Hansen: Tom, I know you think she was the one, but I don't. I think you should look back, and not just at the good stuff.

Tom: What happened, why didn’t they work out?
Summer: What always happens? Life.

Summer: Ok. I, like being on my own. I think relationships are messy and people’s feelings get hurt. Who needs it? We’re young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world; might as well have fun while we can and, save the serious stuff for later.
McKenzie: You’re a dude. [to Tom] She’s a dude!

Tom: [drunk to the redhead] Fine, go...you look nothing like Summer anyway.

Tom: I need to know that in the morning your not going to wake up and change how you feel.
Summer: Nobody can promise you that.

Summer: “One day I woke up and I just knew.”
Tom: “Knew what?”
Summer: “What I was never sure of with you.”

That is all I have to say about that. Great movie, you should see it. I think I'm getting closer to writing the story I want to write, I just don't know how the story ends. I'm starting to get more and more inspiration to start. I just hate to write something so unoriginal. Maybe I just need to get started.

I've started taking steps in furtherance of my big goal. The odds are stacked against me, but for some reason I have this unrealistic faith that everything is going to work out. Now I have to be patient. Soon I'll be estatic about my change in circumstances. Wish me luck. I really do have nothing to lose.

gone for the weekend