INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
EXCITEMENT-UTTER HORROR AND DISAPPOINTMENT-EXCITEMENT-SLIGHT DISAPPOINTMENT BUT SATISFIED OVERALL
There was one bag of microwaveable kettle korn left in the pantry. I knew this because I saw the box containing one more bag of microwaveable kettle korn last week. I was craving the kettle korn this evening so I threw it in the microwave. I was so looking forward to the kettle korn. The microwave beeps, I open the bag and dump contents into a bowl only to find- it's not sticky, sweet kettle korn...it's satly and buttery REGULAR POPCORN! Someone must have consolidated all of the microwaveable popcorn bags in the pantry into one box! The kettle korn popcorn box! I don't know if I can relate to you the utter horror and disappointment I felt at the instant that I realized this. Devastated doesn't come close. None the less I had a whole bowl of popcorn I did not want to waste. So half heartedly I pop a few in my mouth. Wait a second! I sample a handful more. Sweet, not salty or buttery...it is kettle korn! It just looks like regular popcorn. Back on cloud 9.
However as I start into the bowl I realize it is definatley sub par kettle korn. Hence the close appearance to regualr popcorn. Very much lacking in the distinctive brownish, sugary coating (possibly brown sugar) that gives good kettle korn it's tint and taste.
This could be some sort of life lesson about being thankful for what you have or appreciating the little things in life or not taking things for granted...but I'm not sure.

  posted by M V @ 12:16 AM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
MILLER TIME
Two blogs in a couple of weeks? Something has motivated the blogger in me.
Arthur Miller died today. At Best Buy this afternoon just by coincidence (or was it...yes I think it was) The Misfits was on sale for $5.99. Had to pick it up. Looking forward to watching it tonite.
Perhaps after I peruse my other purchase today, Magnum Stories. Over seven pounds (really) of photographic goodness exploring photo essays by the greatest people that use cameras on the planet. Tasty.

  posted by M V @ 9:14 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-DAY
EVERYTHING SUCKS
I haven't blogged in a while but due to a popular demand and the fact that everything around me (well not everything to be fair) sucks so painfully hard, I feel I should, nay, MUST blog about a few things. Things that suck. Hard.

MY CELL PHONE
My phone totally sucks. Hard. I've had it for under a year and a half. It's broken and the people at my wireless provider say it can't be fixed. It's one of those phones that flips open. There is a screen on the outside and a screen on the inside and both screens are broken- they display nothing. The screen on the outside is supposed to tell me who is calling and the time. The screen on the inside is supposed to expand on the info on the screen on the outside and also display the menu which includes items such as my phone book. Which comes in handy, oh I don't know, WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE USING MY PHONE! The only way I can get any of the displays to work is to turn off my phone, then turn it back on which allows me to use the displays one time. Once I close the phone, that's it. Back to the blank screen. Good times. I don't wear a watch. The only way I previous had of knowing what time it was was the outer display on my cell phone. Now I am reduced to stabbing a stick into the ground and watching the shadow. My cell phone sucks.
TECHNOLOGY
Which brings me to technology in general. Technology totally sucks. Hard. Specifically the internet. More specifically hotmail. Never works. Or rather it works when it wants to and doesn't work when it knows I really, really need it to. Here's what hotmail said to me the other day,
"What's that, you just typed the all time greatest cover letter guaranteed to secure a job with X employer there by making all your dreams financial and otherwise come true. Go ahead, just click on "send" and oh, I'm sorry but I'm just going to choose this time for the server to be too busy to do the simplest task such as sending your letter. Yeah, you can click on the back button but none of what you just typed will be there. Have a nice day, fuck face."
Technology sucks.
METEOROLOGISTS
Which brings me to meteorologists (don't ask me how). Meteorologists suck. Hard. I'm talking about you San Diego area meteorologists. Kudos to you. We live in San Diego! That's California, and Southern California at that! There are only about 20 days a year where the weather is any different than sunny! Three hundred forty five days out of the year all you have to say is "more sun today". You only have to do actual work on approx. 20 days; and you CAN'T EVER GET IT RIGHT! WHY?!?! When you predict rain, thunder storms, lightning...nothing. When you predict sun on the one day I'll be taking pictures outside...torrential downpours, floods in the streets, and mudslides. Meteorologists suck.
PEOPLE SUCK
Maybe you could see where this was going. People suck. Hard. This thread could go on forever. I will just point out 2 groups of people and one person.
Group one, the people that drive in San Diego. You all suck. Where the fuck did you learn to drive? Or did you? Since moving here I've been cut off more times then Nick Nolte on a 4 day bender. And, yes, please come in about 6 inches off my rear bumper as we're doing freeway speed in the rain. That's a good idea. No safety issues there. It's good that I can see that you have blue eyes in my rear view mirror.
Group two, the people that started the fires at the religious pilgrimage in India. 300,000 people gather in and around a temple in India for a religious ceremony. Some people inside the temple fall to the ground and are trampled to death by the masses packed into the over filled structure. Truly a tragedy. What happens next? Some relatives outside the temple hear about it and decide to light a nearby market on fire. What?!?! Why? The fires spread and the crowd panics (go figure). The ensuing stampede kills 260 more people, mostly women and children. Nice. Well done. It all makes perfect sense.
Finally, the guy that didn't feel like living anymore and decided to do something about it; ditch his car on some train tracks where it would de-rail a commuter train and kill 11 people, none of which we're him. This guy sucks. Extra hard.
If you've read this far, sorry for the rant. There are a lot of things that don't suck. Maybe next time I'll write about them.


  posted by M V @ 4:08 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
FUTURISTIC PETROL
While getting gas the other day I couldn't help but notice (since it was right in my face at high volume) that there was a TV monitor in the gas pump airing CNN. It came on when I started pumping and turned off when I was done. And it wasn't a brand new gas station. It was an old run down one. Well maybe not run down; but definatley not new.
Anyway, I've never seen that before. Soon I'm sure all gas pumps will have television sets inside them. That is until we transfer over to hydrogen powered cars and holographic projection entertainment. You know what I'm talking about.


  posted by M V @ 9:17 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
RADIO PARADISE AND A DUTCH PHOTOGRAPHER
I was going to blog about something (I forgot what it was), then got lazy and decided not to. Then as I was listening to "Carnival" by Mark Lanegan and "Hazel's House" by Richard Shindell (I only mention the title and artists on the off chance that whoever reads this is looking for some new music and has the where with all to appropriate these songs some how. I liked them anyway) on Radio Paradise when I came upon the website of Dutch photojournalist Jan Dago. Incredible stuff. Had to blog about it. Be sure to check out the 7th frame in his photo essay on Indonesia. Needs to be seen to be believed. And maybe try to work it so that you're listening to some good music as you do it.


  posted by M V @ 10:11 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
BOTTLE ROCKET
Just watched Bottle Rocket by Wes Anderson again last night.  That is a great movie.  Great, great.


  posted by M V @ 9:38 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS STORY
There's this thing that happened today that I think makes a pretty good story.  The only problem is that as I am sitting here re-running it through my head it's a little rough around the edges.  I'm not really sure what the point of it is.  But trust me, some where in there is a happy ending, or a lesson learned, or a tidy anecdote...or something.  So, I'll apologize if the story sucks.  The only excuse I have is that it's late, I have a ton more things to do before I go to bed, and I'm very, very tired.  Ok?  Ok.
I'm at work (which, for the purposes of this story consists of me charging people to enter a building...let's call it a museum.  Because it is.)  A husband and wife approach and wants to know if we have a reciprocal membership policy with a similar museum in Denver.  I reply we do.  I can let them into "my" museum if they can produce their Denver museum membership card.  
Some digging around on their part.  Slight problem.  Husband can't seem to find it in his wallet.  He and wife retire to near by bench to up turn her purse and turn out his pockets in an attempt to find said membership card.  Time passes.  Some other people come in, some others leave, I finish the days paper.  Still no card.  Then, on his way out, a gentleman stops right in front of my desk, bends over, and comes back up with a $20 bill. 
"Somebody dropped this," he says holding the bill out to me.  I take it.
"You want it?"  I ask.  Shakes his head.
"No."  Not in a holier then thou way.  Just a mild, no.
"Well, I guess we can put it into the donation box then."  Man seems to accept this, nods and leaves.  The twenty spot goes into the top drawer at my desk. 
Where it starts to work it's wicked money voodoo on me.  I now find two Mike's in the one body...well two Mike voices anyway:

Good Mike-
I should put it in the donation box.  That's what I said I would do.  I think that would be the right thing to do.

Not so good Mike-
I could really use twenty bucks though.

Good Mike-
Yeah.  Twenty bucks would come in handy.

Not so good Mike-
I mean I owe Sean $15 plus I didn't bring a lunch today.  And I'm getting kind of hungry.

Good Mike-
Yeah, plus...NO! No.  If that guy didn't take it, I can't just turn around and take it.  Especially after he turned it in and I said I would put it in the donation box.  Shame on you Michael.  SHAME!

Not so good Mike-
All right.  Fine.  We won't take the twenty.

Good Mike-
Fine.

Not so good Mike-
Fine.  Can we get porn on the way home from work then?

Good Mike-
I'll think about it.

So I pretty much decide I'm not going to pocket the twenty.   Just then the husband with the Denver membership card issues approaches desk.  He's holding some cash out towards me.
"Couldn't find the card.  How much for two admissions?"
"Well, don't worry about it.  You guys can go in for free."  This seems to make husbands day.  He goes back to tell wife.  They gather their things, all smiles and head back my way on their way into the museum.  Just as he passes husband pulls out a card and hands it to me.  It's his business card.  He's a chaplain.  For the Denver police department. 
"If you ever find your self behind bars in Denver, this is your get out of jail free card."
I smiled and laughed.

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-DAY
ETERNAL SUNSHINE
Just caught a matinee showing of "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind". And now I'm listening to some music from the movie here (music player in the lower left corner.)
Great, great movie. I dig all of Charlie Kaufman's work that I've seen so far. Granted quantity wise that's only 3 films (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and now Eternal Sunshine...all of which I highly recommend) but quality wise there's no one doing anything nearly his equal in mainstream film writing in America today. Originality is, at the same time, the most precious and most ignored commodity in Hollywood. And Kaufman has it in spades (another thing I dig is that saying..."in spades.") I'm definitely a fan.
This music player featuring songs from the film is great to have on in the background while doing whatever...just ignore that piece of crap by the Polyphonic Spree.

  posted by M V @ 3:29 PM

 
INT-HOME IN THE VALLEY-NIGHT
BIRTHDAY LIST AND BOO LAKERS
OK, I tried to publish this post a few days ago and for whatever reason, it was a no go. So we'll try again...
Jeni proposed, what I thought, was a great idea a few days ago. Variations of this idea I've heard before but for whatever reason, this time it really hit home with me and I'm going to give it a try. So here's the concept:
On your birthday make a list of things you've never done and would like to do. The number of items on the list will equal the number of years you've been alive. You then have until your next birthday (one year) to accomplish all of the things your list. AND when you complete each item you take a picture of the accomplishment; either in the act of doing it (for instance attending a professional football game) or the final product (for instance a picture you've painted). And then the next birthday, you've got a whole new list to make.
I think it's a great way to get out and do things, make new memories, and expand the horizons. I'm definatley going to give it a try.

Also Derek Fisher just hit an IMPOSSIBLE last second shot to win game 5 of the Lakers vs Spurs series. I don't like the Lakers.

  posted by M V @ 7:43 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-HOUSE ON THE HILL
DAVE AND FRIENDS AND MORE FRIENDS
Spent this weekend in Oakland with friends and family enjoying the last show in the "Dave Matthews and Friends" tour. Highlights of the show included some incredible jamming by Tim Reynolds, goofy dancing and high speed scatting from Dave and great covers of Bob Dylan, Sly and the Family Stone, Bob Marley, and The Rolling Stones to name a few. Highlights of the actual trip included spending some great times with friends, and...well that was enough really. Also there was the 9 hour drive back home, starving and simultaneously nauseous, suffering through stop and go traffic through the City of Angels. I guess that shouldn't make the highlight list though.

  posted by M V @ 9:38 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-HOUSE ON THE HILL
THE GOOD BOOK
Thanks go out to Jenna (nooge) for the book I am currently reading and completely digging. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles" by Haruki Murakami. I don't want to hype it too much...but it's better then 10 Super Bowls rolled into one.
I haven't finished it yet but if it continues on as it has so far, it will definatley join the ranks as an all time personal favorite.
It's not an easy story to summarize. So I won't. Just check out the first page, page and a half. That was enough for me.

  posted by M V @ 9:20 PM

 
INT-DAY-HOUSE ON THE HILL
I GOT SOME ICE CREAM
I just saw and heard the ice cream man drive by. It's January and I live in southern California.

  posted by M V @ 1:15 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-HOUSE ON THE HILL
SOMETIMES A CIGAR IS JUST A CIGAR?
I have this recurring dream in which I'm back in school (sometimes college, usually high school). I'm behind in my school work and graduation is pending. As the dream unfolds I come to the realization that I'm way too behind to make it up and I won't be able to graduate. Toward the end of the dream I get the feeling that not graduating will mean very, very bad things for any aspirations I might have in life. Anyone care to psychoanalyze that?

  posted by M V @ 9:27 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-HOUSE ON THE HILL
GOOGLE?
What the fuck has happened to Google? Can someone please tell me?

  posted by M V @ 5:56 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-HOUSE ON THE HILL
SAND DOGG
The Savage Journal has moved to San Diego. I can get used to 60 degree winters. More to come.

  posted by M V @ 9:54 PM

 
INT-NIGHT-K&K'S PLACE
BUSY STATE
First there was the recall election. Then the supermarket strike. Then the transit strike. Now there are fires burning between L.A. and San Diego. Alot has happened since I've arrived in California.

  posted by M V @ 9:01 PM