Sunday, July 30, 2006

The Weekend Grab-Bag: The Quotable Version

SO. . .

I trust everyone's weekend was good. See, it's funny. For me, the weekend is Sunday-Wednesday. With my schedule the way it is (Thursday-Saturday), my concept of the weekend has kinda gone a bit astray. Either way, it's Sunday night and time for another installment of A RAMBLER'S RAMBLING. This GRAB-BAG, the 160th post of this here blogging site, will be just like all the others preceding it, in that is in every way unchronological. Enjoy:

- So, work. Yeah, I worked each of the last three nights. I raked in a total of 19 hours this week (exactly, actually - I found humor in that) which is not nearly enough to maintain my present lifestyle, but I'm ok with that. I figure that in the months of September-December, I'm gonna be wishing I was back at this time with nothing to do but complain about my lack of hours. Thus, I'm not complaining about my lack of hours. I made over $50 in tips each night, which isn't great, but it's certainly more than what I walked in there with. I'm content right now with my work situation. Others aren't, but I am. So on both Friday and Saturday nights, my fellow TT closer
Chris and I stayed after clocking out and just shot the breeze with our manager Jennifer. She's really cool and fun to listen to. We just jumped from subject to subject and talked about pretty much everything under the sun. We got outta there both nights around 0100. Yeah, it was later than I had wanted, but it was fun and was interesting. Plus, I got a great quote from Jenn that I shall divulge later. I will owe Jenn some money, cuz I was told I have to pay royalties on something this good. I'm not that rich Jenn!

- I have a very exciting plan for next "my weekend". I'm gonna head to my buddy George's place down in Murietta, CA to stay for a day or so. I'm gonna go down there on Sunday and then come back on Tuesday. It should be fun. He moved down there the first weekend of May. He's working at a
CHICK-FIL-A down there and gonna start school down there too. So, since we haven't hung out in a long time (I wanna say since he moved), I'm gonna go down there and hang out for a day. We're planning on seeing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY while I'm down there, so that should be fun times as well. Looking forward to it even now. . . But speaking of that movie, I saw Will Ferrell on The Tonight Show and he was pretty funny during the interview. He also had a quote that was priceless, and one that you will see at the end of this here post as well. Good stuff. . .

- My parents, Aimee, and my Aunt and Uncle from Maryland got back in town from
VIVA LAS VEGAS on Thursday night. Aimee had a dance convention there and my Aunt and Uncle had met my parents there. Now everyone's back at our house! They had a good time, which is cool. I only wish I could have gone and gambled some of the money that I have. . . Just another year and change Cy. So now that they're here, we did the family outing this afternoon. We went to lunch at, where else, JOHNNY CARINO'S this afternoon after church. It was a really good lunch, though. I'm still full almost seven hours later. Thanks again Pop!

- Been on
Myspace quite a bit the last few days. You know, in less than a week, I have over 100 Profile views! I am so surprised! I think it took me months to get that far the last time I had one. Thanks to everyone who has gone on it! I'm working on learning how to better it. Give me some time.

- I watched
Chasing Amy the other afternoon. This was the last film that I needed to watch to say that I've seen all of Kevin Smith's movies. Now I've seen them all. AMY was good, but not great. It had it's quite hilarious moments, though, and I'll quote them, yep, you guessed it, later. Again, Smith's movies are not for everyone. It takes a special type of person to either get or laugh at his humor. I do. I like his films, no matter how raunchy, odd, or off-the-wall they get. So sue me. Grade: B-

- Aimee and I have been watching a lot of FRIENDS recently. She's now gone through pretty much every episode, but now I'm reenergized about the show. We watch them together and laugh our fool heads off. Chandler, my ever-favorite character, just gets funnier to me. I'm really glad that I have all ten seasons of that show. If I want to watch a specific episode, guess what? I have it!

- I bought all three FINAL DESTINATION films the other day. $10 a movie. Not bad. I've enjoyed all three and I didn't want Cy to be the only one with them, so I splurged. This coming Tuesday
V FOR VENDETTA, my second favorite movie of the year so far, comes out on DVD. Gonna have to pick that one up too. Also, a crapload of movies are on sale this week for less than $10 (some less than $5!) at BEST BUY and CIRCUIT CITY so I'm tempted to spend some more samolians (sound it out) there. ALSO, I'm needing to go to the eyeglasses place tomorrow cuz my sunglasses of four years (at least) are starting to leave a mark on my nose (you know, from the nose piece or whatever) whenever I wear them. I think it's a fixable thing. If not, I might just need to buy a new pair of Ray-Ban's which could cause more money to leave yours truly. We'll see. .

Well, I think that's it for right now. I'll try to post more this week. Maybe some pictures from something or something else. Maybe. . .

- - - QUOTABLE QUOTES:
"It's better to be a smart ass than a dumb ass." - Jenn (top notch!)
"I piss excellence and crap patriotism." - Will Ferrell (about his character, Ricky Bobby)
"What's a nubian?" - Banky (Jason Lee) in CHASING AMY
"It's not who you love, it's how." - Holden (Ben Affleck) in CHASING AMY

Night,

JUSTIN

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Starting To Go "All-In"-sane

Good evening everyone. It's Wednesday. I'm lonely. It's only been a week without Heather. One down (tomorrow actually). Four to go. Dangit.

So I did the basketball thing again this morning and came home around 1230. After that, I perused the evil empire (that would be MYSPACE) for awhile and then talked to Justin about maybe hanging out this afternoon. We agreed that 1500 would be a good time and I headed over there around then. Manny (Justin's sister's fiance'), Justin, and myself played three games of TEXAS HOLD-EM which took about 3.5 hours. The first two were $5 buy-ins (winner take-all) and I won them both. It felt so good to get back to playing poker (it has been awhile) and winning felt INCREDIBLE!!! So, I won $30 and only spent $10. That was nice. Well Justin was a little bummed with losing, and also only had a limited amount of time before he had to head to school (he goes to the L.A. Recording School. However, Justin wanted to win his money back. He requested we up the antes (well, the buy-in anyway - - we play blinds, not antes) to $10. I agreed (rather hesitantly - I was happy with my money) and ended up losing out to Justin, who excitedly took his money back. We both spent $20 and won $30. Poor Manny lost $20. Bummer for him. . .

Well I came home around 1900 and then watched some of the ol' television. I went out and got some Del-Taco for dinner (four soft chicken tacos and a cheese quesadilla) and brought it home. I put in
ASK THE DUST, a movie I got from Netflix today. It came out in March, and I had wanted to see it then, but couldn't. It was pretty good, but was eerily similar to MOULIN ROUGE, only without those crazy, acid-induced musical numbers. Colin Farrell, as usual, was really good. Meh. I wouldn't recommend it, though. Kinda boring. Kinda pointless. (Grade: C)

I hope everyone's doing well. I'm starting to go a bit crazy. Luckily (yes, I said luckily) I work the next three nights, so I'll definitely be keeping busy (and making money!).

Well, I'm tired. Gonna retire early and get a bit more sleep tonight. Sleep well all - - -

JUSTIN

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Another Grab-Bag: The Scanner Clerkly Version

I'm bored.

My mom, dad, and sister left for Viva Las Vegas early Monday morning and I am at home with the brother and my grandma. There isn't much to do since it's so hot outside and I'm essentially alone in Lancaster (Heather in Australia, Cy in D.C. - he left yesterday - and Justin working a lot and whatnot). I called a few other people but that was to no avail. So, I did the unthinkable. But I'll get to that in a bit. Until then, enjoy another GRAB-BAG folks. That's all I seem to be doing now. I won't meet my goal of 182 posts. O well. Here's post 158 (I think - that's still a lot!) and of course, it's unchronological in nature. . .

- Last Friday night was a lot of fun. In an attempt to preoccupy myself with stuff that did not deal with the thought of Heather being away from me (although she's always on my mind anyway), I had bought tickets a couple weeks ago to attend a showing of CLERKS 2 at Arclight for Justin and I. The awesomeness of it all was that Kevin Smith, yes SILENT BOB himself, was going to be doing a Q&A following the film!!! Well Justin and I headed down a bit early so we could go see A SCANNER DARKLY, which was playing exclusively at ARCLIGHT. So we saw that at 2015, got out around 2200, and then went to AMOEBA MUSIC for a half hour or so (I bought DOGMA and two stand-up comedy DVD's including a Dave Chapelle one) and then got back to ARCLIGHT for the 2245 showing of Clerks 2. After the movie ended (around 0030), Kevin Smith talked for over an hour!!! Justin and I didn't get out of the parking garage until 0200 and didn't get back to his house til almost 0300. We went to sleep pretty quick and then woke up the next morning and played SEGA for a few hours. I ended up going home to get ready for work (dang work) but it was a really good time that got my mind on other things for a bit o' time. Thanks bud...

- I worked Saturday night. I closed and got less than $50. Work sucks right now.

- The "unthinkable" that I've done is (get ready for it - it's a HUGE thing!) . . . gotten a new MYSPACE! O snaps! Yes, friends, it's true, I've dived back into the world of free online communication that now holds over 90 million people (yes you read that right). Both by the desire to catch up with old friends (mostly the ones I met while in Downey) and a chance to expand the reach of my BLOG here, I have gone back to sell my soul to Tom (if you know about Myspace, then you know about Tom). O well. . .

- On Sunday I got a chance to hang out with both Mallory and Cy, which was cool. Cy was getting ready to leave for D.C. (he needed to pack) but he made some time for his friends. He's so nice :D

- O, you probably want some movie reviews, huh? Well, looking back on the films, I liked them both, but I liked one more: CLERKS 2. Kevin Smith is a genius. I laughed out loud many times, but it was more of a heartfelt effort by Smith this time around (except for the whole donkey show thing ha ha). Excellent picture that's truly only for true Smith fans; everyone else BEWARE! (Grade: B+) SCANNER was weird. It was trippy. It was confusing beyond anything I've seen in awhile. I think it had a point. I'm still not sure. However, based solely on the hilarious performances by Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson, I give this film a solid (B-).

- You know, I'm pretty tired from all this computer business (I've been on it for awhile). I'm gonna go ahead and go to bed. . .

Night all you (now) fellow-Myspacers,

Baby J (you'll see)

Thursday, July 20, 2006

My Girl

*sigh*

So I'm home now after going on the longest drive in the history of drives in the history of one man, yours truly, The Rambler. And that says a lot, considering that I've driven across this 3000-mile-long country! I am now in a very sad state - yeah, it's true.

So today I did the basketball thing in the morning and then headed over to Heather's after showering and running a couple of errands. We left around 1430 and hit crazy traffic on the way to LAX. We got to a LA QUINTA INN at 1630 (this is where their orientation was happening) and then went to a Taco Bell for a quick bite. I wish the bite had been longer. Barbara and I pulled away from a suitcase-wheeling Chelsea and Heather around 1900 and that's the last time I'll see my better half until August 24. That's a long time. I got home around 2100 when all was said and done and I'm now holed up in my room trying to distract myself from the reality that she's gone. And she is...

So, for those of you who don't like sentiment, romanticism, or just the release of an uncontrollable force that is a pining, very muchso in love boy: STOP READING!!! For the rest of you, prepare for a solid post of all-things Heather. Because, my friends, that's all I can think about. . .

I have liked Heather since fifth grade. She was the first girl that actually responded to me in any way, shape, or form at Desert Christian. We did kaleidoscopes together (yes, I remember that far back). She was always really nice and I always thought that she was a very cute individual. I continued to have an interest in her in middle school. We were friendly to each other, but she had a consistent boyfriend by the name of Travis through much of middle school (it was one of those off and on things that so symbolized middle school in general). We both remember Valentine's Day on our 7th grade year. We do, because on this day I taped two plastic flowers to her locker door in an attempt to woo fair ladies' heart. She was impressed, but lo and behold, I was still alone in the relationship department. I was one of those guys who had a bunch of friendgirls, but was lacking a girlfriend. I figured in whole this was ok, because I could only learn from watching others anyway, right? Well this continued for awhile, but Heather and I did kinda lose contact for a couple years. Then high school happened. . .

I didn't keep very close touch with Heather through our Freshman and Sophomore years. I was going through a weird phase where I would switch the girl I liked every month or so when nothing materialized over that monthlong period. I was very much interested in having a girlfriend. I wanted a gf merely to say I had one. I truly believe that. I was lonely, and my friends weren't meeting that need there. Every so often, I would be reminded of the existence of one Heather Acuff and be reminded what a great girl she was. On the infamous "Book Buy" day over the summer between our Sophomore and Junior years, I saw her walking towards her car while I was heading towards mine. I called out to her and said we needed to catch up (cuz we had been pretty close in middle school and I thought that we were still pretty friendly). She seemed in a rush (I later learned that their washer had gone haywire and was leaking at their house. Had I known this, I probably wouldn't have wasted her time :D ) so I asked if she was busy or something. She said she was, but agreed that we should catch up. I said I only wanted five minutes (I had a feeling I'd get more if I got that much) and suggested we do it at Retreat (the first week of school at DCHS is a Retreat to a local campground - three days of games, chapels, and meeting new people). I said ok and told her that I'd "Hold her to it" (this would later become an overly used quote of mine - actually, it still is). I ended up e-mailing her later that Summer before Retreat and we chatted a bit via the computer Postal Service. I was getting over being interested in someone else at the time (this one was a bit deeper than the others, but either way, it was nothing but an exaggerated emotional thing - I kinda went crazy for a little bit - not that there's anything wrong with that. . .) so I was pretty unstable in regards to girls. We ended up carrying on fun conversations and around October, I realized that Heather was the girl I wanted to have be my first girlfriend ever. I figured (assumed is more like it) she would completely disagree, though, seeing as though she was very anti-relationship (independent woman that she is). The next three months were a complete blur. . . And yet I remember them like they were yesterday.

Our phone conversations began to last longer and longer. There was one night in December (I remember it was December because, well, I'll get to that) that we actually talked until around 0400 in the morning. We realized that we couldn't possibly go to school at this rate (since it was so late and all) and we both decided we would beg our parents to let us call in sick to school. We hung up with a promise to hang out through the "school day" but not at school. I hung up and immediately got to cleaning my room. It was spick and span by the time my mom woke up and I asked her to please let me do what I wanted. She agreed and I met Heather at BAJA FRESH for lunch. This was my first date. Ever. I was scared shitless. She was so beautiful. I had previously been reminded of her attractiveness a couple months prior to this when she came to school with new highlights in her hair. Holy crap was she hot! It was at that moment that I realized how in over my head I was. Whether that was true or not, we left BAJA and went to the movies to see the Farrelly brothers movie STUCK ON YOU which had just come out. After we saw the movie, we hugged goodbye (o what I would give just to hug her now!) and I drove straight to my friend Mallory's to tell her all about my incredible day. I was beaming the entire time I told her about my experience (as Mal tells the story) and I went home on Cloud Nine (I think that's an expression which means that I was really really happy). What I didn't know was that Heather was just playing with my heart . . .

She has since told me that she didn't like me when we started going out occasionally. We went out for hot chocolate a couple of times and walked around the Mall. Even though she didn't find me at all attractive (among other things), she still got all dolled up and made sure she smelled ever so desireable (I can still smell the scent) just so that I would find her appealing. I did. She was everything that I was looking for. She was funny. She was interesting. She was smart. She was all of those things and more than me in every category. She was way out of my league. She is still. But that didn't stop me from trying. . .

We had 2nd period Study Hall together that year. I made sure I sat by her on day one cuz we had been chatting a bit online, so I figured she's be cordial. I found out quickly (I had to ask "so how is everything") that her mom had been in a terrible motorcycle accident just a couple days prior to school starting. The accident had left her mom in the hospital with terrible road rash and burns over her body and the guy she was riding with had died on-site. It was tough on her. I did what I could to help her get through it, but I wasn't good at consolation. I could sympathize, but I certainly couldn't empathize. Some days I wouldn't get to class on-time so another guy would get the seat next to her. This pissed me off. She was my friend! Plus, this was the "new guy" whom every girl in our grade was crazy about. I was screwed. I tried to use the fact that her and I had Trigonometry and AP Literature together to help. Sometimes it did. I later learned that, at that time, I had a bad breath issue that made it difficult for her to talk to me. How I ended up with her by my side? I'll never know.

I finally went to her house on Christmas Eve of 2003 with a cylinder (is it a can?) of Godiva Hot Chocolate. It was a birthday/Christmas gift (her bday is the 27th) and I was just trying to gain brownie points. We watched A CHRISTMAS STORY together (I had never seen it, which was a complete shock to them) and I was so preoccupied with the fact that I was on a couch next to a gorgeous girl that I don't remember much of the movie. I've heard it's a classic. Another night around this time a bunch of us went over to Cy's to watch some movies. I'll never forget that night. Heahter and I were both sitting on his couch and petting his dog, Ewok. Our hands kept touching, and it was really exciting. Then we ate some "Koalabees" (you know, those cookies that were little koalas with chocolate in the middle? I think that's what they were called) and kept going for the bag at the same time. More hand touching. More excitement. I can remember crossing my legs in front of me and thanking God that I was wearing jeans. I had touched a girl's hand. Wow. . .

It was sometime in the first couple weeks of January that I finally cracked and told her I had feelings for her. Our conversation on the phone lasted about an hour and I talked a good 50 minutes of that. She explained that she was not in the place to start a relationship. I told her (and I reitterated about fifteen times) to just "Consider Me" whenever that time came. I said I'd be waiting for her to come around. She was my girl. She was the Jenny to my Forrest. She was the Leia to my Han. She was the Rachel to my Ross. She said ok and we stopped that conversation quickly. I took her flowers (a dozen of em) on January 23, 2004. This was the night that we studied for our Chemistry final, which was the next day. This was also the night that Heather told me she had considered me and decided to give me a chance. She said she had prayed about it and almost overnight her opinion on me had changed. I thank God everyday at some point for putting her in my life, even though I don't do nearly enough to pay him back.

I just thought about dividing this into several different posts. Meh. I'm kinda almost done. . .

We went on a Missions Trip the last weekend of January. It was called BUILD-A-HOUSE CLUB and it was, well, I guess the title is pretty self-explanatory. It took place in Tijuana, Mexico. This was my first trip over the border. I was sick. Very sick. I coughed all the way down, even though I slept most of the way (I almost didn't go - if my mom had made the decision, I would never have gone). The real reason I went was to see Heather. I'll be honest. We (coincidentally?) were put in the same group and we spent the entire day together, putting up a house for a Mexican family who had no roof over their head. We chatted some more while nailing in the small tacks on the roof. She was incredible. She had said she wasn't sure she wanted to call me her "boyfriend" but she said she kinda liked me too. Well, on the night of January 31, 2004, I got an answer. We were driving to a place where we would be bonfiring and we had just left an ice cream place. I was sitting next to her in the middle section of a full Suburban. I put my left hand towards her and asked, ever so smoothly, "Are your hands cold?". She replied in the affirmative and I took her hands in mine and rubbed them awhile. Then I stopped rubbing and began to just hold her hand. Again, I was thankful that I was wearing jeans. The remainder of the trip was a blur as I was now the boyfriend of one Heather Acuff and this was the catch of the class. I had finally gotten my girl (no pun intended... actually, yeah it was. . .).

What has followed since then has been the best 2 1/2 years of my life. Heather and I have been growing closer and closer everyday. We've seen countless movies together, gone to Broadway and seen THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA with our senior class, tried to kiss in Times Square even though our teachers were watching our every move (we never actually succeeded), taken swing dance lessons (even to the point of performing our routine in front of a live audience during THE TOKNIGHT SHOW, a talent show thing that Cy and I hosted our senior year), played an umpteenth amount of games of Egyptian War, stared at the stars for hours up on my roof, and so many more activities that I even struggle remember everything that we've done over that great amount of time. I always say that we're 2 1/2 years going on 60, and people laugh. I'm serious, though. So are we. So is US.

Now she's taking off (at the time of the post - I changed the time to reflect the scheduled departure time of their flight) from LAX and I'm at home on my computer with one of my favorite movies, THE SINGING DETECTIVE, playing in the background. I watched this movie with her once. You see, because of our gigantic amount of things that we've done together, everything there is (that's right, everything!) reminds me of her. I challenge you to come up with something for me to discuss that won't result in me creating a sequence of stories/events that lead me to Heather in some sort of way. Here's an example:

- Ping Pong: leads to Forrest Gump, which leads to the restaurant BUBBA GUMP, which leads to Heather since we've been there a few times for dinner

Not convinced? Here's another one:

- Michael J. Fox: was on SPIN CITY, which was created in part by Bill Lawrence, who also created SCRUBS, which I absolutely love and introduced to Chelsea, who is, in fact, Heather's sister - that easily leads to Heather then. . .

I am the best at this game. Especially since I'm in love.

That just might be the longest post in the history of blogspot.com - - - I wish I could know if that was true. But now, as my eyes well up a bit, and my arms crave to wrap around my girl, and my body lusts for connection (not physical gratification or anything like that, dirty-minds, but simply the closeness of laying next to someone and knowing they aren't moving anywhere) I realize that the five weeks has only just begun. It's funny. You know, the things I'm gonna miss most are having someone to say "Good Morning Beautiful" and "Good Night Heather My Love" to. It's that connection of always being able to text a small message of love and receive a similar "I love you too" back. It's that knowledge that not only is she not just six miles (her Palmdale house) away, not just 90 miles away (her LB apartment), but thousands of miles away and 17 hours ahead of me.

It's going to be a really long time. I'll make it. So will we. And friends (the few who have hung on this long), I promise you that much.

Heather, I love you. And I will miss you oodles! I don't need a koala or any other souvenir. I only need you back.

. . .

. . .


The End.

JUSTIN

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Weekend Grab-Bag (extended a bit): The Pomona Penny-Pinching Pirate Version

Hello patient readers of this here blog - - - welcome to another. . . . . . GRAB-BAG!

I know it's Wednesday, but give me a little break. Like I said, Heather leaves tomorrow (and yes, I am in denial) for Australia and I have been spending every minute that I possibly can with my better half. Right now, in fact, I'm blogging real fast between dinner with her (and Aimee) and going back to be with her. I gotta get all the Heather I possibly can before she will be about a million miles away (or so it will seem).

So, without further ado, here's what's been going on in my neck of the woods (and not, of course, in chronological order):

- I have been to THE OLIVE GARDEN twice this week. Before this week, it had been about a year since I had been. Wanna know why? Ok, I'll divulge. So Heather and I went there on Monday night for dinner just as a regular date. We both said it had been awhile since we had been there and we also saw a commercial on the television for THE OG (not to be confused with THE O.C. or THE LB) that made us crave breadsticks (yum to the third power). Then, after telling the sister about our dinner the previous night, Heather invited Aimee to dinner there tonight. I got the night off of work (more on work later) so the three of us went there for dinner. I have been completely satisfied with both meals and am now starting to lean back towards THE OG over big bad JC. But don't tell anyone. . .

- Ok, so the Pomona part of the title. Intrigued? Yeah, well it's pretty darn exciting for my wonderful girl. On Tuesday, Barbara (Heather's mom), Heather, and myself went to CAL POLY POMONA to go to a quick meeting she had set up with an advisor of sorts. Barbara and I didn't really have to go, but we're both quite protective of our Heather :D So the meeting went well and it turns out, that Heather will be able to transfer to the school in January of 2007 instead of the Fall of '07 like she had originally thought. CPP, about the same distance from Palmdale as THE LB, is a school that offers a program (Animal Health Science) that CSULB doesn't and that's what Heather is trying to get into. Thus the transfer. She's nervous, excited, and scared (rightfully so) because she just got used to THE LB and would soon be moving to another brand new city. More new roads for yours truly to learn as well. I'm really proud of her.

- And the Penny-Pincher mention? Well last Saturday night Heather and I stayed in and played Scrabble and watched AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (it's an old movie with Cary Grant - we established that George Clooney is probably this generation's Cary Grant while watching). Chels came home from a beach trip or something like that and declared us "old people" for playing the spelling game and such on a Saturday night. I then established the truth that money is very hard to come by (especially when you work very very little - again, more on that later - dang I'm getting ahead of myself a lot!) and that a little frugality is not all bad. Yes, I did go to THE OG twice this week, but I also won't be buying a dinner for two for the next five weeks (unless Cy and I go out to eat ha ha) so I figured that was ok. The more I save, the more I have, and the sooner I can make it legal and completely publicly known that I love Heather Lynn Acuff! That day, which at this point in time, seems so very far away, especially with the possibility of her going to Veterinarian School after Pomona. That's many years away. . .

- And of course the Pirates! On Friday, Heather, Aimee (who seems to be hanging out with me more and more - I'm not complaining) and I went to an early afternoon showing of POTC: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, the second viewing for the gf and me, but the first for the hermana. She enjoyed herself quite thoroughly and I actually caught a few more things this time around (like that stupid dice game in the middle - I think I figured it out the second time). O, and my favorite lines (it's a push): "Look! (shoots monkey) An undead monkey! Top that!" and "I've got a jar of dirt! I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!" (I spose context is important to humor. . .) Well that night we got a hankering for more things PIRATES, so we popped in the first one and watched it that night. That's five hours of Johnny, Orlando, and Keira. We were all quite happy, to say the least. . .

- I helped Cyril there get registered for his classes (he will be attending AVC in the Fall) a couple days ago. Because of some good fortune, we were able to get him into two of my classes, including my BIOLOGY LAB. That will certainly make that three hours go by faster! It will be like high school all over again. Well, except for stupid drama. . .

- Thanks Mom-mom for the SUNS hats. The orange one fits awesomely and I have already established it as my hat of the future. The Rambler is again a hat-wearer after quite a lengthy break (it's been since middle school). I'm excited. This has potential. . .

- So, work? Yeah, well this week I will only be working one day (Saturday) cuz I had to make sure I wasn't working tonight (Heather's last night), tomorrow night (taking them to the airport), or Friday night (preplanned Hollywood trip with Justin). Well, they scheduled me on both Thursday and Friday (my first scheduled Friday in almost three months - this was why I thought plans on a Friday would be ok) so I had to ask for them off after being scheduled. None of the TTs would (or could) switch shifts, so I'm left with one this week. Dangit. .

Well, I do believe that you should be content with this amount. I've gotta go and get back for a few more hours of Heathertime. Time is slipping away quickly. I need a PAUSE button. .

Later y'alls. Tomorrow's depressing post should be interesting. . .

- - - Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley): "There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing."
- - - Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in response: "I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by."

JUSTIN

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Patience My People. . .

I have been hanging out with Heather almost all of the time the last few days. I've been trying to get as much Heathertime in as is humanly possible before she leaves on Thursday.

Thus, I don't have time to post right now.

I will give you a preview of the WEEKEND GRAB-BAG to come, though. Here is the potential title:

- THE WEEKEND GRAB-BAG: THE POMONA PENNY-PINCHING PIRATES VERSION

O it'll make sense. But not yet...

Until later, (hopefully sooner)

JUSTIN

Friday, July 14, 2006

So Many Things, So Frickin' Late!

So you see the post is from Friday, but if you look at the end of this here post, you'll see that it's actually very early on Friday. It's almost 0200 now. Wow. I got a lot on the ol' mind, so if you'll so indulge me, I'd like to rattle off some new fangled information and other interesting tidbits and all that type of jazz...

- The countdown (a very melancholy one) to Heather's departure for "Down Under" is now at less than seven. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do while she's gone. Five weeks is a really long time without seeing the person you love the mostest. I'm also not sure how much we'll even be able to communicate. With the amount of stuff she is going to be doing while on this voyage, she will have limited access to a communicative outlet. Not even talking to my girl - now I have issues. Tonight at work, I was trying to convince a co-worker that I have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to Heather being in Australia with good-looking (and, to women, good-sounding) Aussies and an 18-year drinking age. I told him to look at my eyes (completely regular; no dilation, blinking, or redness) and see if he saw fear in them. I also explained that our relationship hinges on a little thing called "Trust". You might have heard of it. The only thing I'm worried about is the level of insanity I'm gonna be reaching by about week three.

- Thanks to the four of you (yes, my friends, I said "four") who commented on my last post. That was such a shot of motivation to continue blogging for awhile! O man I was happy getting those e-mails! Responses: 1) To Mom-mom and Pop - yes it is awesome to have such a wonderful girlfriend. I'm very lucky to have her and I'm even luckier to have had her fit so snuggly into my family. 2) To Dad - yes, you do get a prize. It's called another post :D (and maybe a shake very soon). 3) To Aimee Doots - Thanks for the TIN there. You know my annoyances well. And you're rockin' the b-ball. Keep it up! 4) To Natalia - I think you wanted to have even more Justin blogging to catch up on! Ha!! Welcome back (kinda). Hope San Marcos is treating you well.

- I worked Wednesday night and tonight. Hours: about 13. Dolares: about $170. Breaks: worked through them. Tired: You betcha.

- I just watched the last half of THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN on HBO. I absolutely love this movie! It's pretty rough in patches (that "R" rating is earned) but what a heartfelt, honest, funny movie! This one is on my All-Time list for Comedies for sure.

- An exciting announcement: Mr. Devin Thomas, the former DESERT CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL Boys Varsity basketball coach and present Girls Varsity basketball coach, has a new second assistant coach for the 2006-07 season. That's right, folks, it's the Rambler himself. With the amount of time and effort I've already put forth this summer into the girls' practices, Mr. Thomas asked me yesterday if I'd like to join his staff during the season. It works out perfectly for all intents and purposes. The season usually kicks into gear around the first and second week of December. This is when my Fall semester (more on that later) ends. Games usually run through January and into the first couple weeks of February. Playoffs usually begin around Valentine's Day. This is when the Spring semester begins. Isn't that awesome!?! SO, when the time comes, I'm going to be able to go into JOHNNY CARINO's and request certain days/times off so that I can be at my other job. That's cool to me. I'm very honored to be asked by my second basketball mentor (the papa is the original teacher) to help him train young ladies in the ways of the force..er.. basketball. Sorry, I got carried away. I'm excited!

- I forgot to mention last time that I also saw PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST last week (along with about half of America). Congrats to the makers and contributors to the film. While the film is not nearly as good as the original (a second viewing in a few hours may shed some new light on it for me - I'm going with Aimee so she can see it and Heather is joining us), the much-anticipated sequel destroyed box office records this past weekend. Overall, it's a mandatory experience if you saw and enjoyed Part I and it's not a tedious necessary assignment. It's fun, exciting, and action-packed (especially the last hour). It ends suddenly (with cliff-hangers and surprises) but that's just a lead-in to next Summer's final film in the trilogy POTC: WORLD'S END (tentative title of course). Good stuff overall. I can't really complain when I get to watch Johnny Depp for two and a half hours (wait, I meant that in a completely and utterly straight manner. . .). Grade: B+

- So I registered for classes for the Fall 2006 semester at ANTELOPE VALLEY COLLEGE on Tuesday. I'm gonna be a busy sonofagun (break it down slowly...) come September (well August actually, but yeah, you get the gist). Here is my schedule: (the H means it's an Honors class and the name is obviously the teacher's name...)

MONDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
Biology 101 (lab): 1415-1720 Riley

TUESDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe
WEDNESDAY
(H) Biology 101 (lecture): 1230-1350 Feickert
(H) English 102: 1545-1850 Toth
THURSDAY
Communications 121: 0930-1050 Carter
History 118: 1100-1220 Jaffe

Psychology 101 Online

Wow, huh?

- I'm really not that tired and it's now 0230. That'll change in about a half-hour. I'm just predicting, that's all.

- I'm trying to get a picture on here, but it's not working. If I can't figure it out, then here is a link to a really cool set of pictures of a sky that features both a rainbow and lightning strikes. Don't believe me? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=395512&in_page_id=1770

- Roger Ebert is in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery last week. I am publicly wishing the quintessential film critic a speedy recovery and a million more reviews that I can read eagerly every Friday morning.

- News out of Las Vegas (the sight of one of the NBA Summer Leagues for free agents, undrafted rookies, and rehabbing players) has Amare Stoudemire, the main man in the middle (Actually, all over) for my beloved Phoenix Suns, performing well on his surgically-repaired knees. Good news for me and my boys, who are suddenly becoming the trendy title pick for next season. Let's just hope they don't disappoint (God knows they have done that enough!).

- The song "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys is the song that most defines mine and Heather's relationship. Just thought you'd like to know.

- Blogging is a lot of work. Especially when I do it. Also just a thought for you...

- I'm looking for a hat store that sells a SUNS hat. I don't know why I want a hat, but I do. No hat store around here sells SUNS hats (I do live just outside of frickin' Los Angeles!) and I don't want to go online and buy one because I don't know my dang head size (only a fitted hat will do). This is my present predicament.

- I got a SEGA GENESIS. Yes, you read that right, and yes, it's still 2006 (not 1996 like you thought when you read that haha). Over the past couple months, you have read that Justin and I have been playing a lot of NINTENDO 64 and some of the older, more-fun games (better graphics does not always equal better gameplay). So, on a sortof whim, I bid on and won a GENESIS package (including 15 games - among them NBA JAM: TOURNAMENT EDITION, MORTAL KOMBAT 2, and STREET FIGHTER 2 - three controllers, and all the plugs/cords) for $47.47 including shipping (and that price is not a joke - I swear it was that exactly!). I have tried out some of the games by myself but it's the multi-player action that I'm really looking forward to. Old school gamin' baby!

- Two "Meh....Crap" movies come out this week (YOU, ME, AND DUPREE and LITTLE MAN) but next week, three films hit the theatres that appear on my Must-See List (CLERKS 2, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, LADY IN THE WATER). To quote a great old SNL skit, "Who are the Ad-Wizards who came up with that one?"

- Right now I'm going to go back up to the top of this here post and work my way back down, bolding and italicising where necessary. This is what takes a long time... That took me seven minutes. Told ya.

Well all, I'm pretty spent now. It's just about 0300 on Friday morning and I have to get up in about six hours or so. We'll see if that happens. . . :D

I hope all of you are well and all. I would hate to think that anyone out there who takes the time to read my ramblings would be having just an iffy time of it all. Things must be ok if you can take the time to read my nonsensical nothingness. Thanks by the way for doing so. It's always appreciated!

- - -
- - -

Goodnight (or good morning, actually),

JUSTIN

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Only Set Reachable Goals

My goal, as I had stated recently, was to reach 182 posts by August 11. I need 30 more.

I don't think it's gonna happen.

I've been recently bored with the idea of blogging and the sometimes tedious nature of the activity. Have no fear, my three readers, I will be blogging with some regularity, but just not nearly as much as one would expect (or hope). I apologize, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way.

Another edit job to my SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW: I am now switching THE LAKE HOUSE with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA frankly because I saw DEVIL and have no intention of going to see the ill-fated Keanu romantic comedy. So with that switcheroo, and with the recent viewing of THE BREAK-UP (I saw it today), I have now seen 11 of the 25 films on that list. I'm getting there folks. Of the remaining films, only POSEIDON and NACHO LIBRE (both films that I am waiting for the $1 theatre for) have been released. O, and AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. I'm working on it. . . So you want grades? Ok folks: THE BREAK-UP (B), CARS (B-), THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (B-)

SO.....

All that's important right now is that Heather is home. For 10 days. Then she's off to Australia. Sad times.

Ya know, I'm again unsure about completing this post. I'll give you this much... O wait! Just because I feel bad about not posting, I figure I'll give you a little odd survey thingy that I got forwarded to me a while back. I know it's lame, but I wanna post a little more and don't care much about reviewing my last week or so. So here goes thsi thing called

FOUR THINGS:

Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. Babysitter for the sister ages ago
2. In a wherehouse packaging gel packs (Hot/Cold Packs)
3. File Clerk at a Surgery Center
4. Presently I am a Table Tender (busboy) at JOHNNY CARINO'S

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. ADAPTATION.
2. GARDEN STATE
3. THE SINGING DETECTIVE
4. O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
(Honorable Mention): COCKTAIL

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. SCRUBS
2. THE DAILY SHOW with JON STEWART
3. PARDON THE INTERRUPTION
4. HOUSE
(Honorable Mention): HELL'S KITCHEN

Four places I've been on vacation:
1. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis
2. Times Square/Broadway
3. Washington D.C.
4. The WIZARD OF OZ museum in Kansas (no joke)

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Lasagna
2. Carne Asada
3. Grilled Cheese Sandwich
4. Double Double at IN-N-OUT

Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.comingsoon.net
2. www.espn.com
3. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
4. www.ebay.com

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Next to Heather
2. Next to Heather
3. Basketball court
4. Movie theatre

Four CD’s that will never get old:
1. Weezer - The Blue Album
2. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
3. Garden State Soundtrack
4. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open

Four famous people you have met: (I'm changing it to "seen")
1. Paul Haggis (writer/director of CRASH)
2. Bill Cowher (head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers)
3. Jack Nicholson (at a Lakers game - I was about five feet from him!)
4. Kevin Smith (actually, not yet - I will see him on the 21st; more on that at a later date)

Four people actually read this:
1. Dad
2. Mom-mom
3. Heather
4. Cy

There you have it - - more than just a little post! Hope it was enjoyable!

Goodnight all you out there,

Husteen

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

The Fourth of July Weekend Grab-Bag

Hello all - I'm posting now after a busy weekend that saw relatives come and go through our humble abode as well as me staying out til 0400 in the morning not once, but twice, and culminated in a family movie at the local CINEMARK 22. It's been busy. It's been fun. It's been... awhile since Friday, so bear with me as I try to remember it all :D And because I struggle with my weekend memory (when a lot goes on, it happens), it's gonna definitely follow my usual WEEKEND GRAB-BAG policy: Not chronological :D Enjoy. . .

- Happy Fourth of July by the by. So today was the 230th anniversary of this here country. And America, you don't look a day over 178! (Lame attempt at a joke, I know, but cut me a smidgen of slack please - -) Today I actually slept in til 1300. No, that's not a typo. I'll explain why a bit later (but when you're late to bed, you're usually late to rise), but that kinda threw my day for a loop. I ate a tuna sandwich for lunch (it was yummy) and then the family decided that we were gonna go see CARS at 1550. We did and got out around 1800. The movie you ask? It was pretty good - entertaining at times and funny in parts. But with a running time of over two hours, it kinda drags on in a lot of moments. Besides the boring moments and the at-times sophomoric humor (which can be good at times, but not always - it is a kid's movie though), it follows through like all of the other DISNEY/PIXAR films (o, and stick around during the credits - that's some of the more funny humor in the movie). Grade: B- . . . After the movie, we went back home and I went out back and played a little basketball. When I say I played basketball, what I really mean is that I shot one of those mini-sized basketballs into our hoop at a 7' 6''. This is how I "shoot around". Aimee came out and we played a game of "Around the World" until dinner time. We ate a good dinner (hamburgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, steak fries, cole slaw - - mmmm) and then later we went out front and tried to view some fireworks. Justin gave me some of those Poppers (ya know, little wrapped-up things of gun powder that "pop" and add a little spark when they hit the ground?) the other night so I brought those out and showed Caleb the fun they can be. That was cool. We also frightened the very skiddish sister with a few of them, which was quite the brother thing to do. Now I'm blogging while watching FRIENDS with Aimee. I've got her hooked. What can I say?

- Well that was today. . . and I'm tired of blogging tonight. Sorry. Let's just say that it was a busy weekend and I'll try a recap tomorrow night after work. Thanks for understanding. . .

Until I can post more,

JUSTIN