Are We all Narcissistic?

According to this article, the more friends and wall updates you have on your Facebook page, the more into yourself you are. And don't even think about putting a picture other than a snapshot, otherwise you might seem like a conceited mofo.

However, researchers show that whomever has a personal web page, aka a blog, are even more narcissistic!

Methinks that these researchers probably didn't get many friend requests when they signed up for these social networking sites. As they are known as "social," you know, for socialable people. So its pretty stupid to deduce that elements off your profile determine if you're an ego-maniac.

Wack. Or maybe my feelings are just hurt because its the truth. Haha sike, I have my humble pie every now and then.
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A Few Comments about a Few Shows

Since my laptop was like a bad salesman [aka out of commission hahaha], I watched the 3 shows I recorded last night after foodie. So good thing I watched via DVR, since I probably knocked off 25-30 minutes off commercials woohoo. Another good thing Gangland moved to Fridays since I don’t think I could handle keeping up with 4 shows in one night. Anyway here are a few thoughts which are anti-Phil length haha, and please don’t judge me for what I record:

**semi-spoiler alert**

Smallville: damn 8 seasons already? As much as I loved Lana, I don’t miss her too much on the show. At least you could finally see Clark’s character developing and progressing – he’s finally working at the Daily Planet! Lois is pretty much now the primary chick in the show, and still no signs of Lex, so I can’t see this series lasting past this season. I still get amped though when he morphs into SuperHomoSapien and does his thing. Last night’s epi just profiled another meteor freak blah blah…but the seeds of the Justice League’s nemeses are planted.

The Office: the season premiere was hilarious. When I watch TV by myself, I try not to lol, but I was lol-ing throughout haha. Michael is the man, and so is Dwight. Hahha. A couple questions though: why was Ryan just answering phones? I thought he was a VP? And why didn’t they just removed their sportscoats/jackets for the final weigh-in? They could’ve shed like 10 pounds just off of that.

Ugly Betty: I pause for a sec while watching this solo, since its about a chick finding herself while working for a fashion mag in NY, but for real it’s a good show! No homo but I always peep how Daniel is dressed, and the first couple seasons he was mad dapper but yesterday he was slumming it. And LiLo continued her cameo from last year’s cliffhanger. And where’s Henry the Accountant??? Boooo he was the best character on the show!
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Foodie for Thought

Where: Amercan Sushi House
When: September 25, 2008
Who: Tiff, Rach, Trish, Jeff L, Jeff K, Dennis, Nick, Mike, Mark, Reeg
What: Hella Sushi
How Much: $33

Despite the generic name, we went to this spot chosen by Kram and located in a strip mall in P-Town. It may have been the inaugural Pacifica foodie. Boy these locations are getting further and further south. Anyway I have eaten here a couple times before, and both were enjoyable occasions because I didn't have to pay for it.

This time though since there were more of us, we were able to try a variety of rolls. I use variety loosely because although we ordered maybe 6-7 different special rolls, they all followed the same formula: fried middle part [either tempura or SS Crab], wrapped in seafood or rice, some raw fish on top, sprinkled with something else, and named after a local sports team or landmark. As a result we had an A's, Giants, Warriors, Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Roll. And a couple Spiders Rolls too haha. Maybe if we deviated away from the sports squads we could've gotten variety? I attempted to do that with a Mexican Burrito Roll, but as someone said "well what other kinda Burrito would it be?" Hmmm...

There were a couple rolls that violated my sushi commandments though. Well I only have 2: 1. thou sushi shouldn't be warm and 2. thou sushi shouldn't have cream cheese. Ew I hate cream cheese with sushi, so Philadephia Rolls FTL! [I can't believe I just typed "ew", I might lose man points for that.] Oh yeah I'm also really particular about the rice balance, so I might scrape some of the excess carbs off to strike the proper equilibirum.

Since it was Steph's birthday [even though she wasn't there], the owner treated us to some Green Tea Ice Cream, which capped it off. But I'm cool off sushi for like a month or so. I would come back here though.
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RIP Compaq Presario 2570

Wow it just seemed like yesterday when I blogged about buying a new laptop. Well Reeg is was actually over 5 years ago, and your laptop was fully amortized freaking over 2 years ago, so just hurry up and get one already!

Last night I got home and my laptop couldn't read the wall power adapter. So it kept hibernating after 2 minutes, since my battery has been long dead and thus it always needs to be plugged in. I've valiantly tried to recessitate it, using skills I've learned from tryna get my old Nintendo to work - blowing into the connectors like it was a cartridge, pushing in at different angles, trying different outlets - but it still wouldn't read my AC Adapter!

Anyway here's an ode to my old machine:

Oh Presario, what's the Scenario?
Shiney & new 5 years ago, to me you still have the same glow
Initially swore you off Pr0n, but that only lasted so long
I wanna give you dap for all the times you helped me fap

You were a Compaq, but you weren't that compact
You weigh over 10 pounds, so in that regard you were stacked
You were with me from DC to South City to the ville of Emery
Now you're with my TiVo, X-Box and VCR, all distant memories

On you I wrote countless blogs and won many auctions
We were tight like shorts on John Stockton
I didn't wanna replace you, not because I'm cheap
But I know you ride for me, like you were a Jeep

I should've turned up the heat, since you often froze
I should've deleted the spyware, that gave u the slows
I apologize for loading you up with pirated software
Despite all this, I hope you know that I do still care

Well I just ordered a replacement adapter so I hope that's the problem! Otherwise you might see a new pickup post coming soon *wink*
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Best Deals for Real

In our struggling economy, sometimes we need to search for ways we can save a buck or 3. Here are some that I’d like to pounce on every so often.

- A Costco Polish Dog and Soda: A staple on any list. Wow this has been $1.50 ever since it was just a lil cartstand outside of its location in San Bruno, back when the baggers used to recite the numbers and I was amazed at the cashiers 10-keying, hoping one day I could type as fast as them. I have always always got the Polish Dog instead of the Hot Dog though. And if you want you could wash it down with a churro for just another dollar.

- 99 Cent Laundering: Shout out to Rainbow Cleaners #2 on Kearny, who launder shirts for 99 cents each [minimum of 2 though - but who just brings one article of clothing to the cleaners?]. If you trip, it takes like 15 min to iron a shirt, so if you maintain the same pace you would do 4 shirts in an hour, and your labor would have an intrinsic cost of $4.00/hr. Shoot even sweatshop workers wouldn’t envy you.

- 3 pack of Hanes Premium shirts: When on sale for $8 a pack, you have a unit cost of $2.67 each. If you're more diesel like myself, you could opt for the A-shirts [technical name for wife-beaters] too. These are tagless, thick and can match everything! Another option is Kirkland, but we already gave Costco recognition.

- Any monthly magazine subscription that doesn’t cost over $10: you get to be informed and/or entertained for a whole year! That’s cheaper than a non-matinee movie nowadays. Man remember when 2nd run flicks made it to Tanforan and Serra 6 and only cost like $1?? I seen many classics in those theatres.

- A 40 oz, any brand: man if you just wanna get faded, you easily can for less than $3. The more obscure the brand, the better. Nick once got Country Club Malt Liquor, and that cost less than $2. You can spend $50 on some Jack and Cokes and still not feel anything. Damn we’re due for another 40oz party.

- BR boxer shorts from the outlet: @ 4 for $20, you can have undergarments that can last forever. Shoot I have boxers in rotation that I probably bought 10 years ago, and they’ve probably endured like 120 washes, if you figure you wear them once a month. So it averages like 4 cents per wear.

So there you have it, you can be dressed, entertained, fed and buzzed for mad cheap!
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Taxes Unappreciation

They already get you on your paycheck, on the crap you buy, and where you live. But for real, property taxes probably suck the most. Especially supplemental tax bills that you had no idea about that you thought your title company squared away when you first closed but not really since your property had a different assessed value so you received a notice from the tax collector for money that you may not have in your escrow account but you owe anyway even though you still don't fully grasp why you owe the money. Dammit.

Don't they know I just bought a whip and want to buy a laptop and want other crap that I haven't thought about yet?? Boooooooooooo.
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Today’s Grab Bag

Thumbs up to BofA’s new ATMs that accept checks, recognize the amount written [even if by hand], and take cash in any direction. Plus they eliminated the need for envelopes woohoo.

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Clay Aiken is gay. And in other news, the world is round.

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I guess the Knick’s brass read my blog. They’re having Steph report to camp. Sorry Kram.

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I was reading GQ’s latest about how to be a Gentleman in the 21st Century, and they mentioned not everything you do is blogworthy. **Makes mental note to self.**

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Oh yeah Megan Fox came through again on the cover of the current GQ. So you’ll see her 2wice on my coffee table.

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How is it that eBay promotes sellers to be PowerSellers, yet limits how much you sell? Isn’t that conflicting? Man they’re cockblocking my sales. 15 pairs down, so I’m like 25% complete.

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I need to heed my own advice and find a hustle. [see point #8.]

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I already got my license plates, but didn’t put them on yet. Its just the standard #AAA### fare, since #1STUNNA was taken already.

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I also ordered the Weathertech cargo liner, so thanks AnUglyMind for the recommendation.

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A ray of light for my place of employment since all the big investment banks no longer exist. Woohoo we even get a mention.

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Damn them 90210 girls are mad boney. Look at Silver's arm! And yes I’m still watching it, even though there was a mad dropoff since the pilot. And what sister asks her brother for a rubber?? I don't care if he's adopted or not.
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I Need to Get that Musiq Taste Out my Mouth

Here are a few upcoming shows that I’m interested in going if anyone else wants to come. But watch me go to zero of these in these next couple months haha.

Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
Sat, Sep 27, 2008 07:00 PM
Likelihood of Going: Slim

Who's doesn't like Journey? And I would love to support my Filipino brethren with their new lead singer. I'm just dying in your arms tonight...

People Under The Stairs plus Common Market / Shawn Jackson
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008 9:00 PM PDT (8:30 PM Doors)
at The Independent
Likelihood of Going: Anorexic

PUTS was probably my favorite rap group during my senior year of college. Problem is I'm not in college anymore! On a warm San Francisco Knight...

New Kids On the Block
HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA
Fri, Oct 10, 2008 08:00 PM
Likelihood of Going: Nil

Haha sike. I would only think about going if Ne-Yo was gonna be there. I'll be your boyfriend...

Weezer with Angels and Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club
San Jose State Event Center Arena, San Jose, CA
Mon, Oct 13, 2008 07:30 PM
Likelihood of Going: There's a chance

Too bad this is on a school night. In San Jose. During Quarter Close. So although I would love to see Rivers Cuomo and company, it might have to wait. These are my Heart Songs!

The Roots and Gym Class Heroes
San Jose State Event Center Arena, San Jose, CA
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 07:30 PM
Likelihood of Going: Probable

The Roots tour like 500 days a year and I have yet to see them. How horrible is that? And I'm semi-feeling the new GCH album, so I would look forward to that. Plus tickets are still on sale. I Shall Proceed.

Mary J. Blige with Robin Thicke
Sleep Train Pavilion At Concord, Concord, CA
Sat, Oct 18, 2008 07:30 PM
Likelihood of Going: Unlikely

I wish I saw her with Jay-Z, but that was the same weekend as the Glow in the Dark Tour. Plus this conflicts with the show above, so its doubtful. I'm Searching for a Real Love...

Matt Nathanson
The Warfield, San Francisco, CA
Sat, Nov 1, 2008 08:00 PM
Likelihood of Going: 0.0000001%, so there's a chance!

I don't know what else this dude sings besides Laid, but I love that damn song haha. She only comes when she's on top...

Jason Mraz
Greek Theatre-U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Sun, Nov 2, 2008 03:00 PM
Likelihood of Going: Possibly

I can't front, I'ma fan of Mr. A-Z. Plus this is right around the corner from my place. Was it you who spoke the words...

Is anyone else coming through?
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This Week in the NBA

For some reason even though basketball is my first love, I rarely discuss it. One of my goals this offseason was to create a hoops-themed blog, but I never could settle on a name. But this time I have a bone to pick with some of the news reported.

Report: Knicks to part ways with Marbury

According to this Yahoo report, my boy Steph is about to be waived, which isn't unexpected. But read this passage right here:

"Widely considered a selfish player, Marbury has failed to mesh with numerous star teammates throughout his career, including Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Keith Van Horn, Eddy Curry, Allan Houston and Steve Francis."

Is this dude freakin' serious? First off, him and KG went to the playoffs their only full year together, when he just should've only been a sophomore at Tech. Secondly, him and the Matrix made the playoffs their year together and pushed the eventual champion Spurs to the brink of elimination with this memorable shot to win Game 1. Plus Shawn's #s with Steph IMPROVED than when he was playing with Kidd.

Keith Van Horn and star should never belong in the same sentence, unless you're talking about Mormon ballers with the worst haircuts. If you received Tim Thomas for him then you know your value isn't worth much. Eddy Curry? This guy is unmeshable to begin with. H20 and Franchise-[Destroyer] were way both past their primes when teamed up with Steph. Dude I think they played like 5 games together total.

Okay I know these past 11 years I've been constantly defending Steph and probably drafting him too high in my fantasy leagues, but for what its worth, he should've never been the #1 option on his team, as he was ever since he left Minny.

Here is another indirectly related story:

Sacramento F Abdur-Rahim retires with knee woes

Okay this dude was drafted one spot ahead of Steph in 1996, and has only been in like 2 playoff games his whole career! Yet you never hear how much he's been on losing squad after squad, but its constant with Steph. His numbers for his position compare with Coney Island's finest, but dude put up good numbers for bad teams throughout his career, but Steph is viewed as a team killer. True Sac is probably the smallest NBA market compared to the NYC, but still. I think I'm just bitter than Shareef chose Cal at the 11th hour over Georgia Tech. Man that '95-'96 squad would've been lethal if he was there too.

Stephon Marbury will vindicate his career in the 2008-09 season no matter where he plays. If not I need to find another player to root for haha.
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Petaluma Village Premium Outlets

This past Sunday me and G ventured out to Sonoma County after having breakfast in Marin to peep the outlets in Petaluma. Actually I really just wanted to drive my car to every corner of the Bay, and I haven't yet hit this area. Well they had a Nike one, which was really the only store I wanted to visit and they’re still expanding. So there’s like 3 Nike Outlets within 45 min of me, and the other 2 are in Milpitas and Vacaville, both of which I’ve gone hella times. Honestly I didn’t even know about the one in Petaluma until seeing it after driving back from our camping trip a few months back.

Anyway there’s nothing special about this place, as it has your typical factory stores but lacks some regular ones like Polo or Kenneth Cole. My total damage wasn’t too bad, as I got some black flip-flops at the Swoosh since I lost mine, some unreleased AM95 samples that I’ma flip, a casual Penguin jacket at Off-5th and a sweater since I had Gap credit.

Anyway here goes the top outlets within an hour radius of me:

1. Gilroy - it has 4 sections and was the OG one, and for a time was the only one that had an In-N-Out, so it claims the top spot.
2. Vacaville – it got a lot better the last 7-8 years, as I remember it was only a destination after coming back from Tahoe. It lately though has been a double whammy place, with 2 tolls if coming from the city and sucky traffic on 80, so its back to a place I only go if I come back from Tahoe haha.
3. Milpitas – Okay this sucked when it first opened, since it lacked an identity. Is it a regular mall or is it an outlet mall? But now it’s a mixture, so I’ll take that. At least there’s a Dave N Busters there though, and new stores seem to pop up every time I visit.
4. Petaluma – this place doesn’t get as crowded as the above three, which is good [since you have more breathing room] and bad [less selection of stores].
5. Napa – yeah this one sucks, as I’ll probably never go here again. I think it has the only Barney’s outlet though in NorCal, but I don’t shop there.

Fav outlets in the state though are in San Ysidro, Camarillo and Barstow…hmmm I think that’s it?
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Miss Independent Pt II

Upon first hearing about this remix and its line-up featuring Jamie Foxx and Fabolous, I was pretty anxious to peep it. I was kinda expecting more "I Need a Girl Pt II", but this is leaning more towards "Love in the Club Pt II." And is there a difference between a traditional remix and a Pt II? When did Pt II's start? And I don't even think I've ever heard Mobb Deep's Shook One Pt I. Oh well.

Anyway be a judge yourself. I'm feeling it, but not as much as the OG. And the album review is soon coming, I just need to soak it in a lil more.


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MC Jizzcocks Surprise Rockclimbing

On Saturday I was responsible for bringing Jeff to Mission Cliffs for his surprise birthday. Kinda nervous, I made up a story about selling a pair of kicks to someone and having to meet up at a warehouse somewhere in the Mission. So it was working since he was buying it. I wish I could’ve actually communicated it better to the group since no one was really ready to surprise him haha. But regardless, he was surprised anyway, so good job guys!

- the shrits were awesome tiff! So awesome that I have like 10 extra in my car, so let me know if anyone wants a tagless Hanes shirt reading “Jeff’s Derrrty Thirty”. If not you’re gonna see them on eBay.
- jeff had the special magenta one that matched the rope – so good call there lamster.
- we were split up in groups for the training program, and I was on the short yellow bus group
- them harnesses weren’t as uncomfortable as they looked
- i’m not as sore as I anticipated…shoot I don’t think I try hard enough haha
- we all became better climbers once we switched kicks
- rock-climbing would be easier if the rocks were bigger, but I guess that’s the challenge huh?
- you shouldn’t start on the intermediate climbs if you’ve never done it before
- i don’t know for a fact, but rock-climbing has to be in the “stuff white people life” book. And why was jeff k the only one to get equipment when we all got there? Hmmmm
- i really wanted to do a shirtless climb, but lacked the abs that were required
- there should be some incentive once you get to the top
- people kept saying its harder than it looks. But for real, it looked hard to me straight from the jump.
- damn all those lil tykes for climbing the walls mad fast
- i wonder if someone was on a harness while putting up all the colored tape?

So after we were all sweaty and funky, we had dinner in ChiDi at this restaurant that had a tree growing inside it. Interesting but it felt like I ate there before. Dunno? To cap off the evening, we went to Rosewood and I haven’t been to that place in about 10 years. Me and Mike were wearing shorts still so we had to plead with the bouncer to let us in, and luckily he obliged, so we couldn’t dare to miss Jeff’s dancing exhibit! Pics to soon come hopefully.
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I Gotta Hold On, Hold On To My Receipt

It's kinda hard sayin this sh!t to ya face
So I do it over snares and bass
Music take me away

That is probably my fav song off the Carter II, but this isn't really about Wayne. Yall know I'm purging my kicks, and I had a pair of Air Force Is that I bought at Niketown like over 2 years ago. They didn't appreciate like some others so I said screw it, let me just return them. So luckily I'm pretty organized when it comes to my receipts, and I was able to locate it haha.

During lunch I just returned a pair of kicks that I didn't want anymore, and I just thought it was pretty cool that I can wait so long to return them for for value hehehe.

Lesson learned: invest $5 in a receipt organizer since it'll totally help you when you don't expect it.
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Musiq at the Peacefield

So myself, Kram, Illechar and Ellehcim all had high expectations for the Musiq show, and boy was it a memorable one! But alas, that isn’t a good thing haha. Here was the playlist for the night in order from my memory, so it could be off:

01 Justfriends
02 Halfcrazy
03 Ridiculous
04 Forthenight
05 Betterman
06 Youandme
07 Teachme
08 Whoknows
09 Dontchange
10 Love
11 Girlnextdoor
12 Sobeautiful
13 Marygoround
14 Radio
15 B.U.D.D.Y.

So he starts off with my 2 fav songs from him! I mention to Kram that I already got my money’s worth, but I think I spoke too soon. Seeing the rest of his playlist might make it seem like a good show right? But during the first 5 songs or so, he leaves the stage like 2wice and seems to be distracted by his cell, and he kept on checking it! But whatever, since he’s doing his thing and the crowd is vibing. Then he starts singing Teachme around 10p and we think the song is finished. He goes back for a costume change while the band is still playing the instrumental and a backup singer is acknowledging the musicians. Musiq comes back with a different outfit [same kicks though] and begins a soliloquy of the meaning of this song, and he GOES ON FOREVER. He sings the hook like 500 times, and doesn’t want to jump to another song yet because he’s eating candy or something. So during this one song, he had two outfits, about 10K words saying the same thing over and over, and he was surprised when he called someone out for yawning! No ish that song was going on for freakin a HALF HOUR no joke.

So the Teachme part finally was over, but it sucked the energy out of the crowd. Kram mentions that he’s gonna delete Teachme off his iPod when he gets home haha. As soon as he asks the audience who bought Soulstar, I knew that Whoknows was gonna play. But he freakin’ sabotaged it by singing in a chipmunk voice or something? WTF? For one verse though he reverted back to his normal octaves, but the song – which is a song we [meaning me, Kram and Rol haha ] hold dear to our heart – was already smeared. People started leaving like it was a 30 point blowout at a hoops game, even though he sung three classics in a row.

He mentions he was gon sing a cut off his new album, and Sobeautiful was more traditional Musiq, unlike his current single Radio, so that’s a positive sign. It seems the bulk of the audience was waiting to bounce since after he took a final bow, people dashed for the exits like Usain Bolt. We didn’t even wait for an encore, but I even doubt there was one. Afterwords Ellehcim said it was the worst performance she’s ever seen…so I guess you had to be there. Or not. We also deduced that dude had to be on something.

I’ma still pickup his new album though in November, I just won’t see him live anymore lol.
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Thoughts I Thunk about While Thinking

So why when I microwave my leftovers, they’re piping hot like the first 5 minutes of eating but get like frigid as I’m getting closer to the end of my meal? It happened today with the rightunder [whoops I mean leftover] chicken teriyaki I had. I’ma fast chewer but a slow eater I guess. [Cicely I think you blogged about this phenomenon before?]

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Man so after the first go round of unloading the kicks, I only sold 10 haha. I know I’m asking maybe a lil above market value, but its more like the “HI” price if these kicks were in a Beckett Mag. Damn I used to read every word of those mags and still have the 1st Future Stars edition with Kenny Anderson on the back cover [Todd Van Poppel was on the front lol]. Then again most of them ended on the bleakest day of the US financial markets in awhile, so why is my timing always off??

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It’s a weird dynamic knowing your siblings might read your blog and even weirder when they talk about it in front of your moms haha. Hmmm don’t think I would like her to read her sons thoughts.

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Its actually beneficial having a couple whips. Today for example, since we’re going to The Warfield to see Musiq, I just drove the beater in. Hmmm will probably keep it now.

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Desean Jackson is a fool haha, but I’m just upset that I picked up Darnell Jackson instead. Its like confusing Michael Jackson with Freddie Jackson.

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So I went to Target to get that Ne-Yo and didn’t realize the Gym Class Heroes dropped too. How come no one told me?? But similar to their first release, that album took a lil while to be appreciated. I was walking around too and noticed their Dreyer’s 1.5 Qt Cookie Dough was more on sale for only $3.50! Dude I paid a premium of 42% [($4.99-$3.50)/$3.50] when I got it the other day grrrrr. I had thoughts of actually returning it haha, but can you imagine returning ice cream? I’m cheap but I draw the line somewhere. But yeah, either they’re a lot cheaper here or the grocery store I shop at shold be frequented less frequently.

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Speaking of, who’s song is “Single”?? It appears on both The Block and Year of albums [and ummm, not that I have both **cough cough** it was Rol who gave it to me, who it turn got it from Al, so its really his fault haha]

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Hmm I was always about getting a MacBook Pro but now I’m leaning towards just a regular MacBook, esp if they come out with a 15” version. Right now a 15” MBP is $2K and a 13” MB is $1.5K, and $500 for a 2” gain would be wonderful in the height or shaft department, but debateable when discussing displays.

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I’m was thinking of letting a few of my subscriptions lapse, and the first on the chopping block was MAXIM. Then I get the new ish with Megan Fox on the cover. I’m still not gonna renew but at least I’m going out in style haha. Oh yeah check out what I wrote on April 26, 2004 [yes almost 5 years ago]. Reegsta wrote:

“- Anyone know who Megan Fox is? She is aptly named.”

For real if these chicks were stocks, I would be a millionaire. Even in today’s market. Damn I know how to pick ‘em. Oh yeah FWIW, she’s currently #2 on the chick list.

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I’m running out of ideas to write about for Ploomy. I should get a suggestion box.

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Smallville Season Premiere tonight! Woohoo I'm probably the only one excited, but the trailer shows the seeds of the Justice League! And ladies [and umm some dudes] I know you've seen these previews while watching 90210 and GG and Priveleged and whatever else they show.

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Oh yeah lastly, if I chat with you on AIM, I totally apologize for my away message. I swear I only thought it was there for like an hour when I went on a lunch break. Then meeyushel mentioned that I should change it, so I was like huh. Then I purged it, deleted it, resetted my settings, changed my mobile settings and everything, but it was still there! So while there is nothing wrong with cunnilingus, I apologize if I offended everyone, so sorry to go Kornheiser on yall.
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I Put This Ball in the Hole, I'm Tiger Woods

Oh yeah it would be remiss of me to not discuss my golf tournament last week. And since I’m mentioning it, that means it’s a pseudo-good thing. There were 15 of us who played at Roddy Ranch in the Och-Town [rhymes with talk and not botch – Antioch], and it was actually me who drove! Like I finally fulfilled my goal of having 4 golfers and their golfsets in a my car, so I was smiling inside. I didn’t let it be known though, since I was tryna focus on my upcoming game.

I alluded to being paired up with a couple single digiters but I held my own. I started off en fuego and was +1 through 6, then Arv mentioned “damn you’re playing hella well” so naturally the jinx came in and I swear I couldn’t hit a clean pitch shot to save me, as I played +8 over the next 6 holes. I was hitting fairways but my approach shots were a little off-target [still tryna work in my new irons], and thus my short-game was off, even though I putted decently. I was so disappointed with my wedge game that the following day I bought a new one off eBay haha.

Over the last six I calmed down a bit and shot +3, for a total score of 84 [12 over par], to finish T-2 in our foursome. Honestly I had visions of going sub-80 since I haven’t been there in years! But I have a few things to build on: 1. this is the first time in a long-arse time that I didn’t lose one ball playing 18, 2. I birdied their hardest hole on the card, and 3. I had a sand save, and everyone knows who I play golf with that sand is my kryptonite haha.

So since this was a tourney format, we had to declare our handicaps, so I put a 17 in honor of Chris Mullin [my index was really 14.3 but I added a cushion since I haven’t played in a minute – I’m no sandbagger!] I came in to the clubhouse [okay they don’t have one, it was the pro-shop] as the leader at -5 [12 less 17 for the non-golfers], while no one else was in the red. Then the final group comes in and dude shoots an 86, who I beat overall but he declared a 25 lol wtf? So he wins 1st place with an -11. So I was 2nd net and tied for 3rd non-adjusted, not bad. But I guess the real highlight was my crushing this drive around 300 yards for the long drive competition, so at least I won that haha.
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I Wanna Be Saved

They say you can tell what type of person someone is by how the play golf. You could also tell how they are based on their carpool habits! Okay so this morning, I picked up this couple on my way. The guy opened the door for his chick [well chivalry is good], and then he was motioning her to scoot over. I look back thinking why homie isn’t headed towards shotgun. He goes “is it okay if I sit back here?” Man so of course I’m like “sure” and then proceed. I usually don’t feel like a taxi-cab driver but yo, today I did haha. So I was slightly perturbed at the situation, and just started weaving through traffic on the bridge to give them a true taxi-cab feel. I noticed the chick was dozing off, so I turned up the volume on Ne-Yo’s new ish so she wouldn’t get a good sleep haha.

Then I dropped them off and the chick doesn’t even utter thanks so anything, but the dude does at least. And I notice she’s all walking ahead and he rushes to catch up to her, because it looks like he’s carrying her things. So this is another type of chick I don’t like, I guess this would be a high-maintenance one? But I blame the dude too for being a captain.
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What's the Difference?

Ant was thinking of penning a piece about different chicks to avoid, and disregarding physical features, I was thinking of some personality types. The first type that came to mind was materialistic girls, but then it got me thinking. What's the difference between a materialistic chick vs. someone who just appreciates the finer things in life? [Props is a true thug's wife.] Plus it would be hypocritical of me, since I'll be the first to admit I'ma materialistic mothereffer. But I'm trying to curtail it! I mean I'm not gonna start shopping at Goodwill [no offense to my GW shoppers, you can find good halloween costumes there], but I'm not sure if I'm really gon change much.

I'm driven because I want to have thangs, from having a fat crib to some whips to cool toys while looking dapper haha. But really its all for me, so its self-stunting really. I mean its getting kind of bad, since once i cross something off my list I just want something else. Like why the heck do I want an LV bag that cost a G?? But then I concluded that its pretty normal of us, while living here and being exposed to visions of grandeur, to have similar desires. So I can blame Cribs, any CW TV show, US Weekly and Niketalk all I want, but there's always gonna be someone that has something you want.

So I do appreciate the finer things, but it doesn't absorb me, so using that perspective maybe I'm not materialistic? Or maybe I'm just a label slut? I really just want to be comfortable, and my comfort level means playing golf and not worrying about a $12 rib-eye and being able to travel too, and even these examples can be considered luxuries. I mean its cool, but at the end of the day its the intangible things that matter most obviously. And I know my mental state is solid since I have my priorities in order. Remember people - the best things in life are free! Wow that sounds a little bakla but so what. But yeah anyway, guys still should avoid materialistic chicks haha.
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Last Night I Went Grocery Shopping…

Seriously it seems like groceries hella increased in prices since when I started grocery shopping, like it follows the rate of education inflation rather than normal inflation! I spent about $70 on crap that only a couple years ago would cost no more than $50. And since my food habits are pretty elastic [meaning I’ll eat whatever, depending on the deal– I was an econ major after all], I tend to look for deals since there’s always crap on sale at the grocery store. I was hoping for my White Cranberry juice to be on sale but it wasn’t, so I just got my Coke Zero for example. I really wanted to get a rib-eye too, but ish was like $12 a lb! [ever wonder why pound is abbreviated “lb”? yeah me too] I try not to be kariput when buying food but damn, I just bought some rib-eyes for $7/lb a few months ago, so I opted for some pork loin chops for my pork chops that I haven’t made in awhile. Man I need to find an eBay of g-shopping or split Costco groceries with someone haha.

Then I was fiending for some ice cream ever since An Ugly Mind talked about it, and I was stoked to find my Dreyer’s Cookie Dough on sale for $4.99. But do you realize they’re only 1.5 quarts as opposed to 0.5 gallon now?? WTF? Has it been that long since I bought ice cream? Other brands do that too, but Dreyer’s is the lowest quality I’ll go. For some reason I hate store brands and Breyer’s Ice Cream, maybe since the latter totally jacked Dreyer’s, like anyone would confuse the two.

Produce and fruit seem more expensive too. I should just get this stuff at an Asian grocery store, they know how to maintain prices haha.

I have always been a judicious g-shopper though. Back in college Eric and I used to compete who could save more money @ the end, since you know they tabulate your savings at the bottom of your receipt, and I always won haha. I wouldn’t be a good contestant on SuperMarket Sweep.
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Totally Not a Good Day To Be in the Financial Services Industry

I won't pretend like i know what a lot of this stuff means, but for real this is really a gloomy day for investment banks and employees [well, if they haven't been let go yet] and pretty much any investor worldwide. I mean if the Dow is down 500 points, which is the most since 9/11, you don't really need an MBA to know that the situation is jacked up!

Poor Lehman Brothers [NYSE:LEH]. I mean if just look at the stock snapshot and see them trading at $70 a year ago compared to 20 cents currently, I don't even need a calculator to determine they lost like 99.9% of their value. So imagine the dude, not even the uber-rich ones, but someone who's just been working there for awhile [they've been around since financing our countries railroad system] who had like $100K worth of stock a year ago and now that isn't worth the paper that its on. And that example is just one of the 25K employees on the payroll. Poor dudes. To have like $500 billion in assets and still file bankruptcy just sounds insane-o.

BOFA [NYSE: BAC] also acquired Merrill Lynch [NYSE: MER] for $50 Billion in stock then dropped 20% dang. I think the same people who questioned their Countrywide acquisition are doubting this transaction as well. Well I think they always wanted to be the one-stop shopping of anything money-related so we'll see how that goes. Anyway MER has 60K employees if anyone is hiring.

AIG [NYSE: AIG] also took a fat hit since it might not be able to oover all it insures. I mean if you need to borrow $40 billion from the government real quick then that can't be a good thing!

WAMU [NYSE: WM] isn't looking too good either, since no suitors want to touch it even at $2 a share.

But there's hope! 10 of the biggest baddest banks in the world pooled up about $100 Billion for troubled financial institutions to help stabilize the worldwide markets. Hmmm, so do they just setup a wire transfer for that?

To make matters even worse, my place of employment might not even have a Christmas party this year! No but for real, I just pray that I'm employed everyday.
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A Few thoughts Roaming in my Dome on a Friday Afternoon

- How come every time I see Mike Phelps there is either a Lil Wayne reference or Lil Wayne himself? Do you think they’re becoming BFFs? And for that SNL commercial Wayne had to be standing on like the NYC Yellow Pages or something, because I think I’m even taller than dude. Hmmm I wonder if Phelps handlers would’ve preferred him listening to the Jonas Brothers or something.

- Where did all these new age white chicks with the badonkadonks [sp?] come from? Not at Kim K's level, but then again no one really is. Walking around downtown on a nice day has its benefits, although today isn't one of them.

- Are floods back in or something? How come when I see dudes walk, I can see their socks? I mean when I get my pants tailored, I always request a slight break, but it seems like some dudes rock some extra long capris.

- So I'm playing golf tomorrow with my brother and his friends, who are single digit handicappers. Wait my brother isn't, since I'm alpha Tacorda golfer, but he'll get me once in awhile. So there's a chance I'ma get the copper medal in that foursome!

- I'm rocking a long sleeve polo shirt today instead of my usual button-up [or button-down] garb. Apparently its acceptable per HR, but I still try to only wear in on Fridays.

- Why are pea-coats for dudes only in either Black or Navy? And they look similar from afar? If I ever could find a short Brown one, I'd be all over it.

- How come I feel mad gross and lazy when its been 6 days since I've done anything physical activity? Before I used to feel like this after 6 weeks hahaha. Maybe I'll hit the gym tonight.

- How come it took me 3 days to put sheets on my bed? Okay granted the first night I just fell asleep on my sofa, but the next couple I just laid on my blanket and wrapped myself up like a lumpia. I got sheets on now ladies!

- 1 pair down, 49 more to go! Don't ask for any hooks unless you can get me a Navi system or a laptop or if I like you hahaha. So this is what I've been doing the past couple nights as these are the kicks I don't care about or have doubles of. Actually I had to pull a few back since I couldn't part with them. I mean I'm tryna pillage people initially so we'll see what the marketplace dictates. But at least I don't have Flight Club prices.

- Man its addictive selling stuff, so I can't blame those drug dealers lol. Naw jp, but simplifying your life starts in the closet. I wonder if my used Jordan shirts with yellow pits stains can fetch anything too. Its a free-for-all, but not really free.

- Hmmm I wonder if my dad would get upset if I sell my old golf set, since I don't think I would ever use it again. And Pings hold value [well, except Nick's] so I could get up to $400 for that set. I'll ask him, but he'll probably ask for the money since he gave them to me like 10 years ago haha.

- Aight 5K!
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Now I Know how dudes named Jordan and Max Feel

Finally I get a shoe named after me! Haha just playin', but my brother passed this along to me. Ummm not that funny but kinda silly. I'm just glad its Lacoste and not Reebok or something whew!


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Retail is for Suckers

Ever since I was a youngin’, I always wanted to stunt. Like I had Girbaud’s in 5th grade when folks were still rocking their Guess overalls. I had a shoe rotation in grade school when kids just had a pair for the year. In 8th grade I had to have a uniform, but instead of the standard white polo shirts, mine were Ralph Lauren, and not Chaps either haha. Plus I had the fat cords from Gap rather than the skinny cords issued at the uniform store. I think its because until 4th grade or whenever I was having hand-me-downs for days. I vividly remember once crying when my lil sister was getting EVERYTHING she asked for and I was using my older brothers older draws. Then again if I was my folks, if would suck buying the same thing 5 times over lol.

Anyway during this time I gained an appreciation for discount stores. Shopping here is like shopping for music at Amoeba or somewhere similar – you’re not looking for anything specific, but you’re just looking for anything! While you probably don’t wanna be seen here, shopping here has saved me a few bucks along the way and made me even more, thanks to eBaying some stuff. So here are my rankings of them in reverse order:

6. TJ Maxx – This is probably the most organized one, but has the least selection. The last thing I’ve bought here were some basketball shorts. Best Location: Westlake.

5. Loehmanns – They have the most uppity brands, so I don’t really buy much here. Plus they only have chick kicks and none for dudes. I think I bought some work pants here last. Best Location: on Sutter [only one though?]

4. Jeremys – I kinda discovered this spot walking around Berkeley once, and picked up a couple American Apparel hoodies haha. Their return policy sucks though. Best Location: South Park

3. Nordstrom Rack – This is the Nordstrom of these discount stores lol. But word, I really feel sorry for whomever works in the shoe department. Imagine tryna pair all those up! I’ve found countless kicks here: Air Max 1s, Air Huarache Runners, Air Flightposites and a few others. I probably got a Penguin shirt here last, so if you see me wearing a Penguin shirt, its probably from here! Best Location: that one in Seattle I went to once.

2. Ross – Beware: you really need patience if you want to shop here. They’re the most unorganized but also the cheapest. Like in my eBay heyday I would buy Ashworth polos for $8 and sell them for $25, so I can appreciate them. Personally though I found a pair of my Jordan Golf shoes here for like $30! Worst Location: the one on Market, as I refuse to go there.

1. Marshalls – This is the Mecca here folks, as they’re pretty strong in apparel, housewares and kicks. Its well-lit, generally organized and have pretty current brands. If you look hard enough, you can find some Stussy or Nike White Label gear, but then you’ll also find like a Derek Fisher Warriors jersey haha. Best Location: the one on Market.

My rule of thumb is that if an urban brand has made it to these stores, its time to find something else to rock!
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Damn I Wish I Understood

So today I rode with a Filipino couple, like I was their kid and they were dropping me off to school. As soon as I sit in their older Benz that had their oil, battery and check engine light on lol, the chick just been yapping non-stop so I figured she was on the phone. After about 5 minutes into the ride, I realized that she was actually talking to the driver. For real for every 100 words she said, he said like 1, and really spoke for like 10 minutes before he even uttered something. It was like she was having her own soliloquy. It was Jay and Silent Bob times 20, or a lit Rol and Al times 10 hahaha.

Researchers say the average woman says 20K words a day [and the average man 7K – guess I’m sicker than the average!], and this girl I swear fulfilled her quota during this one car trip. She was all yapping and animated and laughing, but dude was mad stoic and quiet, like how can they be having the same conversation? You know when people say something that’s unfunny, but they laugh afterward anyway? I try not to let that affect me but its just a peeve haha. [wait I just did it – guess I’m a hypocrite].

What's worse is that they didn't even have the radio on either! If I only understood Tagalog then maybe it would’ve made a lil more sense.
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Layout Tweaks

Woohoo finally added my freakin' title to the lovely panoramic that TheUglyStick shot. I was going to add a subtitle but I felt too many words might interrupt the essence of the photo [plus I still couldn't think of one!]. I kinda wanna pat myself on the back for finding a dope font, downloading it, and then coloring it to exactly match the text. That's probably hella basic to you web-designers, but I'm not one!

I wanted to change the color of the blue font of the recent comments to match the rest of the column, but they wanted a $12 "donation" to upgrade to customize that. Haloscan please - I'm not made out of money!

Okay next goal: to stretch out the body so it doesn't look like one newspaper column lol. There's too much empty space on the margins. I also want to maybe embed the comments section rather than have a pop-up window. And if there's anything else you can suggest holler at me! I'ma accountant not a designer and this layout is still definitely a WIP.

Oh yeah - here's a shout out to my cousin Wesley! Yo son, you asked for it so here it go. But for real, thanks for reading, just don't tell your folks and start working again on your golf game so we can play haha. Vega$ in December sounds tempting.
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Just an Observation

Here's a pic from a birthday party I went to this past Saturday:



I'm the sav in the middle. It's a trip that I don't have any Filipino or even Asian male first cousin-in-laws haha [at least in America]. All good though, that just increases the chances the next gen of Tacordas will make the pros since apparently this gen couldn't cut it! [or even Varsity for that matter lol.] I'ma have hella mixed nephews and nieces, and I already have a few. But for real it doesn't even matter, since they're all good dudes. It's just indicative of the melting pot we live in called the Bay Area.

I still love Asian chicks though, word to that t-shirt made popular a few years ago. I always wanted to rock a "No one loves an Asian Dude" shirt just to poke fun at the whole notion, word to the Angry Asian Man.
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Confessions, Part II

Just like Usher, I had to come with Part II! On my way to work today I thought of some crap, and I just stretched that our to more crap. FYI regarding my first list, I think writing that down helped alleviate some of the stuff I've confessed about, as I clean my b-button, iron my shirts and stopped wearing sneakers with bus-cas gear.

- I sometimes do the 2 second hand wash after using the bathroom
- If a loaf of bread has some mold, I’ll just eat the pieces furthest from it rather than throwing the whole bag away
- Same with cheese
- If I’m by myself, I’ll dig in my nose and just try to flick my booger as far as possible, like anywhere
- Since I got my new whip, I go through the Fastrak lane knowing they can’t send me a ticket mwuahahaha
- I think about chicks in Church when I should be praying, but then I always tell God I’m human afterwards
- When I was non-exempt, I used to really start working once my OT clocked in.
- I’ll meet some people like 10 times before knowing their name, unless of course they’re hot or make a dope first impression
- Sometimes after dropping a deuce, I’m amazed that I created that stench
- I haven’t swept my balcony in months
- I probably visit these blogs more often than the actual writers
- I check one or two Facebook pages a lil too often too
- I play the “what-if” game a lil too much
- My work keyboard is probably the dirtiest thing I use, and I don’t even trip off it
- I don’t like reminding people they owe me some scrilla
- I have a goal of wanting to listen to each track on my iPod at least once
- I haven’t balanced my e-checkbook in over a year
- Sometimes my 2 week disposable contacts last me a month
- I went to the pool solo on Saturday and I don’t even know how to swim!
- I haven’t read a book since Angels & Demons
- I haven't seen Braveheart of Fight Club or countless other "modern classics"

Aight that's enough for now. I'll probably come back in a few months with another list lol.
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2008 MTV Video Music Awards

So I peeped this since I was debating if I should re-order HBO for Entourage. Hmmm I was like should I pay like $20 a month for 30 minutes of entertainment? Actually less than considering there’s no commercials, and I don’t really watch any other shows. In back of my mind Arv and Felisa have it, Mark and Rach have it, but it sucks because it shows at 10p on a school night. Alas, I’m tryna sacrifice in some places and my cable bill is already hovering ~ $100 with internet and HD and DVR so I had to make a stand. No HBO for me =(. While I doubt any of you will feel sorry for me, I’m kinda proud that I had the willpower to not order it haha. I guess I’ll find something on my 200 other stations booooooo.

A couple observations before I start going into the real reason I watch these award shows: Why doesn’t MTV have a dedicated HD channel yet? Its not that hard! I mean every other channel has that option, and you figure MTV would be at the forefront of such a movement. But nope, I just peeped it on a grainy stretch standard definition. And another thing, this Russell Brand guy [yeah, I know I wasn’t the only one to associate him with hoodies I wore from grade school to college – let’s call him the hoodie dude going forward] was a trip. Hoodie was actually the first Brit I never had to hit rewind to understand him [well Simon Cowell too]. He said some outlandish things which I guess are acceptable in his country. But lastly, I think I gave this dude too much credit for his performance in Sarah Marshall since dude was clearly not acting, that’s him in real life! But still, Hoodie entertained me and offended every other person out there.

Okay now the real reason to peep these shows – it’s the chicks. And here were the 4 dopest girls last night:

4. Britney Spears – yo for real, she looked good last night! She definitely had her MILF steez on for the day.
3. The chick in TI’s performance. Resembled the chick from the “Dangerous” video and she looked hella milk-chocolately.
2. Vanessa Hudgens – Damn she’s only 19?! I don’t care, that chick is mad pretty and cute. Plus I already seen her nekkid. Some chicks are pretty, some are cute, but rarely are they both. She qualifies!
1. Nicole Scherzinger – Dude I think I had a revelation last night when I saw her, I mean PCD, win that one award. She’s probably the flyest chick in the game now. Sorry KK and JA, yall were bumped off. Nicole now holds the crown. If only her surname were easier to pronounce though haha.
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Never on Schedule but Always on Time

Funny that two blogs I frequent both had time logs of their days today. So The Ruminator and the Tabo Lister very well might be kindred spirits.

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Remember when I wrote my Top 10 Reasons to Go #2 at Work instead of Home? Probably not. But anyway, in regard to #4, the other day I deuced and there was like 10 sheets left on one roll and the other one was out! What to do?! I had to ration and finish wiping with toilet seat covers no joke. I shoulda just used the newspaper I was reading in retrospect.

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R. Kelly drinking the Haterade! You can't play Ne-Yo like that. R. Kelly Ordered To Pay For Kicking Ne-Yo Off Tour. Damn I've been playing Miss Independent non-stop though...she got her owwwwn thing...

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Ne-Yo and Musiq Soulchild releasing the same day?? Wonder if they're on some 50/Kanye type beef. Anyway, September 16th guys, so mark your calendars.

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Monta had to be riding a motorcycle, or he very well could've been ghost-riding the whip down in Mississippi. Apparently that's a super rare injury that you see playing hoops. How you gon jeopardize $66 million?? Don't they learn from Jay Williams?

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Oh yeah I never wrote about Estelle, and apparently she has sung more than "American Boy." This is actually her 2nd album! I haven't been to a show to someone I knew so little about. But I just heard the girls got my a ticket so I'm like cool I'm there. It was crackin' though, she was a feminist but all the dudes in the audience were feeling her. Oh yeah I also thought that song she did with Kidz in the Hall was dope too.

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Someone I know is preggo again! I can't divulge too much this time around, except they don't call me Tito Reeg for nothing haha.

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Hmmmm wonder who the next person I know that's gon start a blog? I vouch for MC Jizz Cock aka Mos Jef. For a peak check the 3rd Floor page on the right. I still need to fix that to check out my old archives.

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How come it always takes me like 4 days to unpack?

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So I peeped the 90210 premiere the other day, and it was pretty entertaining, but its still not the original. Just like kicks, the retros appear like the OG, but it lacks the essence of it.

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Goal this weekend: to watch Season 1 of The Wire. The set has been sitting in my media cabinet forever.

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Damn I need to get Sen-Dog smog-checked this weekend. I haven't even drove him in awhile, so I hope it starts lol. Hmmm to sell or not to sell? If only I could trade it in for a laptop haha.

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Okay people try to enjoy the weather this weekend! Gotta love Native American Summer. hahaha get it?
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If I Ever Were to Get a Man Purse

Not that I would, but if I wanted to get a bag to hold my future camera or something it would have to be this, if price wasn't an issue that is. I'm not even a big LV fan, but the Damier pattern is dope. I saw Pharrell rock this exact graphite pattern in some fashion spread and I was like damn that's fly. But I would really want it because it matches the interior of my whip!


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Reegrets

I wrote this a lil while ago and I thought Ant forgot about it!

Regrets That are Okay to Have, courtesy of Reegsta X Ploomy

So Ant and I double-teamed this piece and it might be apparent which blurbs I had haha. I wanted to try to make it universal, so I'm curious to the response the piece receives. It's meant to be taken light-hearted anyway. Anyway since probably 95% of the people reading it don't even know me, I wanted to give a glimpse to my readers to my insight. Man my bad for doing my own commentary, guess I'm feeling myself.

Having a significant other in college – One year is fine, and maybe even two. Having guaranteed vag is always a little easier. However if you were single, your game potentially would’ve been sharper and possibly your college experience would’ve been much more fun, unless you currently have an STD.

Man I was pretty much in a relationship for 3.9 years of my college life, and I went to the University of Casual Sex and Beer. Its hard to make up a couple years in 0.1 years but I tried haha.

Not seeing your favorite athlete or musician live – One day I’ll be able to tell my future kids that I saw Michael Jordan play basketball, but I’ll leave out the detail that he was in a Wizards jersey. Athletes have a shorter shelf life in their prime, and you really don’t appreciate them until after they retire. Do yourself a favor and find out when your favorite artist comes in town next and buy tickets if you haven’t seen them perform.

I've seen Tiger, but not in a Major. I've never been to a Warriors Playoff game. I've seen Kanye, but for claiming to be a hip-hop head I haven't seen many acts. So if anyone is down I'm down too. Weezer is coming too I think next month?

The One that got away – This isn’t necessarily the One who you’d think you would marry, but it can also be interpreted as that one girl you could have had. Blame it on timing, on lack of balls, on another girl or on the weather, but guys will always fish for an excuse to make themselves feel better about this situation. It’s really okay though, since most of us do have that one girl in mind.

I think most dudes could relate with me here. This is the "what if" chick. You were diggin' her when you were single but she was taken then she was single but you were taken blah blah. Its like damn, why can't this ever balance out like a journal entry? [haha accounting reference]

Buying an MP3 player that’s not an iPod – While I’m no Apple fanboy, these other gadgets are just glorified bootlegs of the original. You may just say Apple has a superior marketability, but they also have a superior product. Even Bill Gates would rather have an iPod over a Zune.

Replace "MP3 player" with "cell phone" and "Zune" with "Dash", but I did get a new battery and my phone hasn't been tripping out as much. **crosses toes**

Accepting that first job offer – Once you see that starting salary on your offer letter outweighing your career earnings, you tend to sign the dotted line right away. Generally speaking, your first job dictates your career path unless you plan to go back to school and start over. So make sure you’re passionate about what you accept.

Okay...back in college I wanted to ultimately be a trader. My roommates all got gigs with Big 5 companies and I even interviewed and landed a few offers. However I detested the thought of a busy season and auditing, and I preferred the corporate accounting over that stuff. So I rejected all auditing firm offers and headed to LA, which isn't the best place to go to for financial services. So I'm working at an adveristing company and Eric goes "hey if you want to work at E&Y there's positions open." But dude came home pissed every day, and I didn't want that haha. This was before the whole SOX 404 Compliance too. Anyway I still had [have?] aspirations to not do accounting. But now if you look at most public companies, like from the Asst Controller to the CFO all have Big 5 experience.

So if I have a goal of being CFO somewhere [remember to aim high!], I don't have this on my resume. I'm not saying its impossible, but its like Cranium where you have the inside path [with Big 5 experience] or the outside path [without]. So the model I want to follow is that of our CAO [Chief Accounting Officer], who also went to UCSB, pushes a Range Rover, doesn't have a CPA and dates strippers.

But now that I'm processing commissions checks for our traders, I again want to be one of them now haha.

Moving out the nest right away – It is definitely hard to depend on your parents after not living with them for the past 4 or 5 years. But it’s also harder living paycheck to paycheck those first couple of years into the workforce. Maybe it would’ve been better to eliminate your debt and build your savings before trying to make it out on your own.

Even if it was only for a year, I think I should've lived at home for a lil bit. Oh well. My scrounging made me more appreciative [sike, but theoretically it should have.]

That tattoo you got that you no longer like – Whether it’s the tribal band on your bicep, misspelled Chinese characters on your chest, or what’s her name on your arm, you’re reminded everyday of your decision. Maybe you should have tried those temporary tattoos for a while first, but take solace in knowing that there are now more and more ways to get rid of an unwanted tattoo.

By AD - but I was planning to get inked up now i'm having second thoughts haha.

Listening to non-investment people about investment advice – Unless you have financial savvy, it is pretty difficult to make sound economic decisions. You should never invest in anything just because everyone else is. Make sure your risk-taking is always calculated. Who wouldn’t regret losing money anyway?

Freshman year I spent $500 [which in today's terms would be like $5000] for something that is basically a ponzi scheme. I thought I could retire off those telecommunication signups. I should've bought turntables instead.

Hooking up with that one girl – Unless she gave you that aforementioned STD or you inadvertently impregnated her or is she was your homie’s ex, then you shouldn’t have this regret.

N/A here unfortunately haha.

Buying the extended warranty on electronics –It probably wasn’t the best move, but you shelled out the extra $349 for a 3-year extended warranty on a $1,999 HDTV you bought a few years back. Extended warranties are a huge cash cow for all retailers, but the rule of thumb when purchasing these warranties is that you shouldn’t be insuring what you can afford to buy again, but what you can’t. The rationale being that to replace a $99 DVD player is easy, but having to buy another $1,999 HDTV would suck.

By AD too, but I can relate, after buying a 24 month warranty for my laptop and needing it during the 25th month haha. Damn I hate Best Buy.
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Checkin' up on the Reegolutions

Since I’ma lame and wanted to consolidate all my blogs into this site, I crtl+c,crtl+v’ed all my Myspace entries and backdated them to reflect when I wrote them. I reread a couple of them and one in particular stood out. Partially inspired too by Taft’s and Rol’s recent blogs about setting goals for themselves as well as Share-bare’s permanent list [which is a great idea btw], I want to see how I’m holding up to my new year’s resolutions since we’re almost a lil over 2/3s done with it. Honestly you can say all the goals you want to do but ultimately it has to be you to hold yourself accountable. But still set your goals as high as possible!

Back on December 27, 2007, Reegsta wrote:

Woohoo its my last working day of the calendar year today! Here's a preliminary list of my new years resolutions. Let's revisit them on -010109- and see what was accomplished.

Okay I lied, let’s revisit them on -090408-

- lose weight, gain muscle [but if you've seen me recently, you can tell that process already started!]

Halfway there! I’ve lost weight training for the half, now I’m gunning for Definition like Mos Def and Talib.

- have the see pee aye sufffix after my name [oh yeah I'm retaking the first part again eeeks]

Okay definitely need to work on this. I totally thought I passed this part in Apr-08 but fell a lil short, then I got pissed and haven’t opened my books since. Will resume studying like last week.

- upgrade the whip [I had my last straw today as I had to tetris my golf travel bag into my trunk]

Woohoo finally achieved one of my goals!

- downsize the kicks [since I only wear sneaks on wknds, I rotate about 40-50 pairs, so that's like 100+ pairs that remain untouched]

Okay the process has started, as this resolution is not mutually exclusive from the one right above it haha.

- stack chips [I've collected cards, starting line-ups, cds, shoes all pretty thoroughly – now I just want to get my paper chase on]

I have been a more judicious spender, but then I got my car. Now I really have to budget since I haven’t had a car-note in like 3 years! Man total spreadsheet overload.

- become a better golfer [it has been determined it's the sport I suck at the least]

Well I got a new golf set, so that’s a start. I’m playing in about a week and a half and haven’t picked up a club in about a month. This will probably be a resolution of mine til I die haha.

- become a better boyfriend/brother/son/friend/coworker [not that anyone has any complaints, but there's always room for improvement]

Ooooh this is a tricky one. Hmmm…as a BF, I was putting forth the effort, maybe a lil too late but my intentions were good…but that’s still a WIP. As a bro and son, I’m always there for my fam, word to Rol’s tat on his left arm. As a coworker, I’ve been forced to pick it up due to attrition of my department. But I’ve been blogging more so that might offset it haha.

- become a better photographer [but that would entail getting a camera]

I can’t buy all my toys at once! Laptop first, then killa camera.

- launch http://ww.reegsta.com [which should just contain my amusing musings, like a more mature reegspeak]

Done! Thanks to Ant, just peep the address bar for the URL. Just don't think I matured too much haha.

- get out of the country [I haven't been international since '04, since canada doesn't count]

I had and have one butt cheek [aka half-assed] plans to go to Germany, Japan & Australia, but none of those ever came to fruition. But then again there's still time, just need some scrilla now haha. I totally love the PI but have been there like 3 times since I've graduated and its time to explore the world!

Okay so these are 10 things I would like to do for 2008. Funny thing is that it mirrors my 2007 list!

And it'll probably look like my 2009 list too!
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We Run Things

So this past weekend myself and a few others ventured down towards the bad half of the state to participate in the 3rd annual Disneyland Marathon, which should probably just be called the Anaheim Marathon since you’re through D-Land for only about a mile. It cost a C-note but doesn’t include park admission, and not even a churro.

About the race:
- Woke up around 4a, was a bit anxious since it was my first half and longest timed run by far since I’ve just done a 3.5 miler.
- Kinda tapered off on the training the last week…I had to preserve my energy for the run!
- Decided to run with the Manny Pack, in honor of Manny Pacquaio! Lol I crack myself up.
- Michelle wasn’t feeling too well, so she was a game-time decision. But she still finished so she’s a trooper.
- I had a goal of breaking 3 hours lol. The ever-encouraging Rach was like no you could do it in 2:30!! We shall see.
- We all snuck into Corral B, but of course I was only one called out to go to my assigned wave. Then I went stealth-mode and dodged the volunteer.
- Oh yeah the night before we picked up our packs, and they only had XXL shirts left. Dude was like “early bird catches the worm!” Inside I’m like “annoying volunteer catches the fist!” but for real, you figure you pay a bill and you put MED as your shirt size they wouldn’t run out yeah?
- So we’re running, and I wanted to run the first 5 miles then walk then proceed running again.
- G and I break the 5 mile marker at the 57 minute mark. So we’re doing roughly a 11:30 mile pace.
- G initially wanted to run 8 miles straight, and since I’m a man of my word I told her I would then I could chill after that haha.
- So after the 8 mile marker, I started to sing “Lose Yourself” in honor of Eminem. Now I’m tryna break 2:45.
- Surprisingly I still have energy, so we’re like “how bout 10 straight?” Must’ve been that Clif Bar and Monster Drink breakfast I had.
- Brian McKnight’s “One Last Cry” play on my Shuffle. I forgot to update my songs in preparation of the race haha.
- After 10 I’m getting sore and cranky and I start swearing like a seaman [aka a sailor, just wanted to use seaman haha].
- G and I just said “eff it” and “let’s just run the whole thing!” Mood: determined, as I want to break 2:30 now.
- I didn’t even look at the actual course…but G was getting excited because she anticipated certain landmarks, like Angel Stadium.
- There’s mad Disney characters that seemed new to me.
- Every cheerleading squad from the OC had to be there.
- If I maintain an 11 min mile, I could shatter my goal for the last 5K. [Sorry don’t mean to confuse yall using the metric system too].
- We pass the the 13 mile marker, and the finish line should be close, but we don’t even see it!
- The last 0.1 miles I swear was the longest 0.1 miles ever, as we zig-zagged through Downtown Disney. As we're headed towards the end, Kanye's "Champion" begins to play. How apropos!
- Finally the finishline! Clock reads 2:32, but we crossed the startline at 6:03a, and officially both G and I did it in 2:28:27. Here’s proof, just type my name. Mood: accomplished!
- After we all finished we convene to support Mark as he’s about to propose. Dude finished in 1:57 so he had hella time to think about the proposal haha. Congrats guys!

About the rest of the weekend:
- Me, G, Jeff and Michelle fly Virgin, and its good to see the latter two reconcile over that Anagram game haha
- I passed the fat test to and fro there! If you don’t know what that is, its if you need to make the seatbelt wider, then you could stand to lose a lil weight.
- We were about to get another PT Cruiser, but collectively decided to upgrade to a Dodge Nitro!
- Avoid the Jack in the Box in Inglewood, unless you want to go to the most expensive JITB ever.
- We ate at Buca and PF Chang’s you know, since we totally can’t have it up in the Bay. Sorry Louise!
- I’ve never experienced chafing before, but my right arm pit and swamp ass now know the feeling.
- G’s Garmin Nuvi 750 [nicknamed Navagina by Jeff] was the MVP of the weekend.
- We went to the J-Lounge in downtown LA [yes there is a downtown LA] to see Neil Armstrong spin. Too bad he didn’t spin the whole night since there was a repeated set! Gasp!
- The following morn finally saw Cicely after like 8 years! So it was finally good to see you and meet your man and find out about the history of Ruby’s haha.
- The UNDFTD in Santa Monica was pretty disappointing, which is good since then I would’ve bought something otherwise.
- Wow both LAX and SFO weren’t busy at all considering the 3day weekend.
- Damn I’m sore still lol.

Here are pictures courtesy of G:


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