jonocorp

I just got back watching Wilco perform at the Palladium in Hollywood. At long last it I finally saw Wilco perform. They were great. They played a terrific set list, and the sound was amazing. And for a bonus, they did two encores. I can't remember the last time I saw two encores.

I didn't do much of anything this weekend. I just had to get out of the house. I mostly drove around and hanging out at a bar. On my trip to Trader Joes I saw Mythbuster's own Grant Imahara. I could go for some chips and salsa right now.

Happy New Year. Cat says this one should be good to me. Bring it, new year.

I was going to jack up the car again on Saturday but got a couple texts to grab coffee. That kept me from getting into a greasy overall. It was a nice get-to-know-ya. I then grabbed lunch and ran into Saul. Since I was in the area, I texted RJK to grab a drink at her Grandfather's bar. We caught up and had waxed poetic for a bit.

After class I went to visit Misa at the hospital and chatted and gossiped for a while. We snuck out of the hospital and I treated her to her first taco truck meal. She tried to gross me out by talking about her period in front of the nurses, but that didn't work. We also tried to find or make up a good word that means the opposite of "boner." No luck there. Rats.

I'm still feeling really tired.

Bye.

While working on the car, I kinda tore a piece of my skin off my pinky finger. The open wound feels like lemon juice is poured on it when I clench my fist or wash my hands. I don't really dislike the feeling, only disliking the annoyance. I kinda like how it hurts. My other pinky clicks when I'm using the mouse for a while. That feeling I don't like at all.

This week will not end. I'm done with it, entirely.

I miss nouns; people, places, and things.

Here it is, the last day of 2011. Weird how it can up for some and down for others. I've seen friends get married and have kids for the first and second time, and I've seen friends lose jobs, and break up. Who's to say that 2012 will be better or worse, but hey, we can all hope for the better.

Happy New Year, y'all. I'll try to write more.

Merry Christmas. I love all of you who I'm honored to call my friends.

I mind-hacked myself the other day. I very rarely listen to the first song that plays on the iPod when I get into the car, so I spend a few minutes trying to find the perfect song before I drive. What I did the day before I got out of the car when my one of my favorite songs played was go to the previous song and shut off the car. The next morning I naturally skipped the first song and got a pleasant musical surprise.

Yesterday I made my yearly trip to visit my old boss and hear old stories and drink his beer. His health is surprisingly better than the last few years. It must be the 12 pack he puts away a day.

Today seemed like my trip back to Thailand. I had a Thai massage at this cool place near Echo Park that reminded me of a place in Thailand. They gave me a mini dark chocolate Milky Way. It was delicious. I forgot I liked Milky Ways so much. Continuing my trip to faux Thailand, I went to get Boat Noodles at the coffee shop. Who knew I would like pork rinds in noodle soup?

I think I'm starting to get this Thanksgiving dinner down. I timed everything pretty well. I even compensated for the oven not working so well.

Menu:
Turkey roulade
A ratatouille-like thing
Mashed taters
Sausage stuffing
Meatballs
Apple sauce
And some hot toddies for myself.

Nothing says, "let's celebrate this holiday of charity and coming together in harmony" like snowboarding. I was nervous because I haven't gone in years. Like almost two terms long. It took me a while but my snow legs slowly came back. I still wasn't able to go as fast as I used to, but I'm glad I didn't fall as much as I thought. The bad news is that my brother's snowboarding boot broke and I had to walk down half the mountain.

Once we got back to the car we went to the hardware store where I picked up stuff to fix it for another day on the slopes. I can't believe the fix held the boot together for multiple runs the next day.

I was surrounded by trees and mountains. I saw road signs I didn't like.

The weekend's conversations were mostly about kids. Weird.

I saw Blake at Umami tonight. I totally did a double take.

I was feeling a little angry this afternoon. It got me thinking the last time I was really, truly pissed off. It was my birthday. I had canceled all plans to be with someone and they canceled on me the last minute, literally. Once I heard the text (yeah, I know what I wrote), I punched my windshield on Old Dog so hard, it caused a big spider crack. All while driving, mind you. It hurt the car more than it hurt me.

Well, what's new? Nothing, really. Another birthday came and went without fanfare. It was pretty quiet and subdued.

I picked up my brother's snowboarding equipment the other day to ready myself for the trip. Not yet ready to go home, I stopped by the watering hole #2 and said "hi" to Daniel. I chatted it up with Jamal and he gave me tips on traveling in Europe (on a budget!).

I've been in a state of ennui and not really feeling "it" lately. It must be the weather. I woke up early today, walked June and got breakfast. I ate too much, but I wanted to. I drank a small tanker of coffee and walked down the street for an Angelino. I overheard a hipster refer to East LA as "East Los." For some reason that made me feel like that Louis C.K. bit about standing in line at the coffee shop listening to all the hipsters around him. Regardless, I wanted to smack that guy.

Afterwards, I just drove around for a while stopping into places I wanted to check out, drove some more, did a variety of pretty random stuff, and eventually went home.

(Not quite the clip I was looking for, but it's close)

**Update**

I found the clip!

I went bowling for the first time in years. Years. The last time I bowled was probably in college. Times haven't changed when it came to my score. In my first game, I scored a gentleman's 88. At least in my second game I improved with a 111. Since my score was on the rise, I chose not to ruin it with a third game.

Still basking in the two strikes I had in one game, I celebrated by sipping beers at the spot. The dark beers pour beautifully.

Sadly, Halloween will probably never be how it was when I was a kid anymore. Kids no longer go house by house anymore collecting candy, they go to malls, Disneyland, and rich neighborhoods where they leave the bowl of candy outside. I remember roaming the neighborhood and going to houses I never knew existed and shouting to the top of my lungs, "trick or treat." That tradition is pretty much dead. Of the trick-o-treaters that did come by, all they did was knock on the door.

I remember when you came to my door and shouted for your candy. You also asked my mom for a glass of water and that embarrassed me. Now it's a weird memory. Weird.

After running some errands and checking out a new class early Saturday and getting a quick (but good) Indian meal, I took some "me" time. My body finally couldn't keep up with the late nights and early mornings, so I slept a lot through the day. I feared I was getting sick because I had a phlegmy episode for a bit, but that cleared up a little.

I was a bit out of it in class and couldn't keep my head in the game. A fat lip helped me decide the rest of my afternoon so I stayed home and ate the most unhealthy lunch. Another snooze because I just couldn't keep my body awake. I woke up bored and restless so I grabbed my growler and headed to the brewery to get a refill, a few pints, and some veggie tacos. I would've preferred the cheaper real meat tacos, but non were around, dang-it.

I'm sending smoke signals. Who's going to respond?

Fountains of Wayne kick-started a tour at the Troubadour last Thursday. I haven't seen them in years and I missed them. I would like to say that it was spectacular, but I didn't think it was a great show. It felt a little like they were phoning it in, but I did love to be in my favorite venue even though the free parking situation can be a pain. Since I'm not near Pomona anymore, the Glasshouse will always be my second favorite place to watch a show.

I didn't have a gig on Saturday so I hit up "plan B" in Octoberfest at Verdugo. I chatted it up with a few people, but not too much because I wasn't in a chatty mood this weekend. The good news? I got about eight hours of sleep. The most I've had in a long time. The bad news is that the eighth hour happened to fall 3:30 am on Sunday morning.

While most people probably had a long three day weekend, mine turned out to be a single day weekend. My brother and I had a photo gig on Saturday and I made the most out of the open bar while still being functional. Based on the news I got, I tried to brave through the day and hold back the dam. The holding part is easy, but you can't stop all the leaks.

Cutting loose on Sunday to go to CicLAvia, Mike and I hopped the train and hit up downtown's empty streets. We had some kick-ass pupusas and concocted the perfect drink. Tamarind aqua fresca plus whiskey equals amazing. While making a pit stop to check the scores, we took down some pickle shots and pints and convinced a Minnesotian to buy us a Grand Marnier shot. Kinda weird, like a Yager shot but more orangy and less licoricey. I like black licorice.

The ride was fun and way bigger than the last one. Instead of taking the train back, we decided to ride from Melrose all the way back home. We couldn't believe we did it just to save $1.50. If I had more money, I would've continued the tradition to have sushi at my favorite spot like I did the last time if my ass wasn't so broke.

Monday was rough.

A restless weekend. I wasn't all there at all times.

The highlight was the E. Rock Fest. Music, food, drinks, and smiling people made me forget and I got to enjoy things. Scott let me try some of his new brew and the hef is the winner in my book.

Today I dusted off the cobwebs off the workhorse bike and inflated the tires. It's going to get some mileage on it indefinitely. Pink Lightning is meant to be recreational.