silly rabbits

There are a couple of teenage girls at my work who get rather silly when they get together.

They were hanging out and decided that I was really cool. How about that! They wanted to express this to me through a card. I bring it to you in it's entirety.






A while ago all the other girls (Chelsea, Rene, Kati)left the store for college or whatever. I'm really glad we have some again, even if they are so young. They provide me with entertainment.

Senor Coconut

Jeremy just made a post about who's performing at Coachella. When I saw Kraftwerk it made me think about someone I haven't heard from in a long time...

i gotcher stimulative growth package right here!

I never paid much attention to teh economy. I only did enough to get by in economics class in high school which, believe me, wasn't much. This was a class that used Wall Street and The Secret of My Success as educational films. Still, with all this talk about a tax rebate, of course im going to pay attention. So they think giving $500-800 to people and $1600 to families will help boost the economy. Critics say it will put us further into debt, that people won't invest in the right places or just save it out of fear of a recession,and that lower-income families won't get as much, or anything, while they are the ones who really need it.
Regardless of the viewpoints, I dont think this is anything I haver a say in, so If they do fork over $800, what am I gonna do with it?

-I really want Photoshop in my laptop. I can get a student discount and, unless I'm misunderstanding, it shouldn't cost nearly as much as it does retail.

-I would like a quality digital camera. The one I have has run it's course, not that it was ever any good in the first place. I would like something to take decent dirty pic...er, decent reference photos for art work.

-I'd probably save a big chunk of it. Hey, this school shit ain't free.

-...Oh, I mean Im going to spend all of it on an LCD HD TV for Jeremy.

tomer hanuka

I've been reading Juxtapoz at work and the feature of the last issue caught my attention. Tomer Hanuka's beautiful illustrations are a fine specimen of mixing traditional drawing with the digital medium. His clean, expressive lines are colored in digitally with rich, emotional color. He has an online portfolio that is a treat to look at. He mostly works as an illustrator but has done some work in comicss as well.
This illustration is my favorite. I believe it was used in Playboy.

Coincidently, he also did a picture for the book I am currently reading, Life of Pi. I don't know if it's for the cover of another edition or what, but it's gorgeous.

quarter review

I just started the winter quarter at school. Here's a small sample of what I accomplished last quarter.

an imaginary job

I found a web site that has people's stories, a lot of which are kinda fucked up. They are going to start posting illustrations to these stories starting next year. I decided to try a hand at it but unfortunately I think they already found some art for the story I've been working on the most. Here it my work-very-in-progress:








Now I'll turn my attention to others, like this one:

how i spent my christmas

I sang Turkey Lurkey Time to Jeremy's Warcraft guild members.

Gay? Check.

Geek? Check.


*that's not them, btw*

I also saw AVP:R. I will soon post a review of it on my other place thing where I write stuff.

i hated crocodile rock anyway

I don't go out and do things very often, I'm a total homebody. Usually it's the movies, but rarely do I want to see a performer or band or anything that might involve a lot of people so much that it will make me get off the couch and go outside. There was one thing, however, that I was looking forward to for sometime.
When I fully listened to Tilly and the Wall's two albums earlier this year I decided that, come hell or high water, I was going to see them live when they came to Seattle. I enjoyed their music more than anything I had heard in years. I was thrilled when I checked the Crocodile's calendar of events a few weeks ago and saw that they were going to be there in March. Now we all know that the Croc shut it's doors last week.
It seems logical that if the band is on tour they will find a new venue. I have not checked yet. However if they don't, I have learned that there might be something to my philosophy. Just stay home.

don't you wish your boyfriend was rad like mine?

He gave me my Christmas present and yeah, I'm totally going to show it off:

Yeah, man! It's even more beautiful in real life. My favorite thing about it is how much it reminds me of a station wagon.

Also, If it weren't for Jeremy, I wouldn't have gotten to see Dina Martina (who I'm sure I will see many times in the future) or my new favorite movie...please click the wheel.
Now that you are officially jealous, you may go.

king cutie

Barbra Walters was on The View showing off her Christmas cards. First she showed the card from the White House that contained a bible passage in it. She commented on how she thought it was strange that the White House has a religious card, that she didn't remember them being religious in the past. She said something like "Do you think agnostics and athiests and muslims get the same card?" She went on to say that she wasn't saying anything bad about the White House, then cleared her throat a little in a way that made me feel her nudge the audience with her elbow.
Later on she showed the card from King Abdullah II of Jordan. I couldn't help but think, isn't he just the littlest bit dreamy?

well read

It's been a while. School's out. Thank goodness. I can drink beer again! I'm pretty sure I aced math and probably yoga. Communication...not so much. I'll post my grades as soon as I get them. Now on to today's post...

I often criticize myself for not reading very much, other than comic books. While comics are a valid form of art, once in a while I'll feel like I'm not as intelligent because I don't read. However, I just as often remember that I have in fact read quite a few books, some that might even be considered literature. I would say that these are some of my favorites, but when it comes to reading I haven't read a book if I didn't really like it in the first place. That's why I never finished books like Candide, The Ice Storm, or The Stranger. I just didn't enjoy them (although I like "Killing an Arab").

Here's a rundown of my favorite favorites:

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. Just enough science-fiction, mystery, action and all around entertainment to satisfy my need for intelligent garbage. The hardest part was wanting to envision this naked man but not being able to because, well, he's invisible.





The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. Kind of like what I said about The Invisible Man. A little trashy but so much fun, and I don't expect trashy fun from such great writers. I have yet to see or read any of Levin's plays but other books I want to experience are The Boys from Brazil and Sliver (even if I will think of UB40 with every turn of the page.) Both novels I've read are almost exactly like their movie adaptations. Needless to say I love both movies also. Now, the Frank OZ Stepford remake was total crap, but I know it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. If I look at it that way, it was kind of funny. Sometimes.

The Bad Seed by William March. I reviewed this book on my review site. You can go there and read about it, but I warn you, I give away the ending.






Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I read this in my senior year AP english class. The unabriged version. I still can't believe I did. Well, I did skip the part about Waterloo. It didn't really have to do with the story. I can see why I liked the book, what with my love of long, drawn out soap-opera-like stories. There's lots of melodrama and plot twists. I also liked to believe that Jean Valjean and Javert were, or had been, lovers. I don't know why, perhaps because of the obsession. I haven't seen the musical, but the movie version with Liam Neeson was kinda lame. If I ever read this again, it's going to be the abridged version!

Lots of Stephen King. Hey, its' like the highest quality fast food you can find.

So, I still have to finish Le Livre Blanc which should take about 30 min if I get myself started. And Seth just let me borrow The Life of Pi, which I'm pretty excited about.

acoustic disco

This is one of the many disco tracks I've been listening to. This video is rather self-indulgent, I just thought I'd share it for fun.

free time

I used to have so much of it and did nothing with it. Now, since I've been going to school, I'm always thinking of things to do but I just don't have time for. When school gets out I am no longer just going to mope around my apartment until I have to go to work. Here's the kinds of things I will be being more productive about:

Drawing- It's one of those things I keep thinking "I'm going to draw or watercolor when I get home." But when I get home I have homework, laundry or sleep to attend to first.

Housework- I have really let my apartment go in the last couple of months. Luckily my roommate cleaned up for Thanksgiving. My bedroom, however,...let's not go there.

Keeping in touch- I have been neglecting a lot of my friends as of late. I plan to stop that. I have already called my old roommate, Steph, and my best friend, KC, this week.

basicaly anything thats not working or riding a bus or sitting in class- yeah, all that.

alter ego

I drew a picture of my Worl of Warcraft character, Prokstabir, an undead rogue, while I was in math class the other day.

His shoulder pads are actually bigger, like the size of his head. Maybe I'll do a portrait of his warlock friend, Vulvarta, soon.

Passions quote of the day: 11/26/07

"It's so lucky to have a grandfather who's an evil genius."

why was i so angry...?

Circa 2004

deja vu

Seems like somethig like this happened to someone I know recently.

happy thanksgiving

Warning: not for the squeamish

why bother...

Once in a while, I'll draw a comic strip about my job. Why bother when someone does a great strip about it everyday?

You can read "Retail" at the Seattle PI website everyday.

today

let's see...
I didn't have to go to school.
I spent the morning with my boyfriend.
I had an awesome breakfast.
I got my math homework done at work.
I think I got paid more for the holiday.
I found a vicodin while sweeping at work.

And...I have a new episode of Passions to watch.
It was a pretty good day.

what ever happened to Sinbad?

Someone asked this recently, I think someone at work. Well, apparently he'll be in Tacoma at the Emerald Queen Casino, the number one place for fun, on Nov. 23rd and 24th.
I noticed that the casino is in Tacoma, but the hotel is just over I5 in Fife, WA. There is a shuttle.
Also, check out this creepy picture of Smokey Robinson they have.

passions quote of the day: 11/05/07

"I need booze, but I'll settle for pills."

passions quote of the day:10/30/07

"Nothing like a dead baby to put everyone in a bad mood."

punch in the nose

FUNeral: part one

The whole experience of my grandfather's funeral is pretty much over. I'm here at my parent's house watching a huge HD TV (new), sitting in a comfy office chair(new) blogging with their dial-up connection (also new. They upped it to 100mb/sec!) The HD TV is pretty cool. My dad wanted to show me what the picture looked like but had to find a channel that was in high definition. As he was flipping the channels he stopped and said it would have to wait. He wanted to watch Family Feud and that was not in hi-def.

Last night there was a rosary thingy. I haven't prayed the rosary since I was a kid and I'm pretty sure it was my grandfather who was leading it. Father Vicente, who has been at the parish for a very long time and knew my grandfather well, led the rosary last night. Father Vicente, a native Spaniard, has a heavy accent but I have gotten used to it over the years and understand him perfectly. I also know what he sounds like when he's talking and crying but last night while saying the rosary he had a different sound in his voice, one that sounded like a worn, warped record that has been repeating the same song over and over for decades. For those of you who don't know, the rosary consists of fifty Hail Marys said in groups of ten. It was during these that his voice became soft and warbled.


There were a lot of people at the rosary. All of my uncles, some of their families, even my sixth grade teacher, a friend of my father's who was there when KC and I made our unholy alliance all those years ago. Speaking of which, KC was sitting in his car outside. He didn't feel he was dressed enough for the occasion.

My grandma was being her usual self. As I walked up to her she told me I didn't look like Philip. I bet it's the haircut. She was a lot quieter than she has been lately but other than that she seemed fine. As the rosary was coming to a close she started shuffling with her purse, getting ready to go. She nearly dropped it and made an audible comment, something along the lines of "Nice move." After the rosary Father Vicente told about how my grandfather, who used to work for the school district, told him to take all the old chairs and desks he wanted when the parish was starting up their own catholic school and made some joke about church and state being separate. He started talking about the service/mass that took place this morning and my grandma made another audible comment. "Cut it short, Father."

Kc and I then went to a snobby coffee place we used to go to all the time before we moved to Arcata. Back then KC would hit on all the foreign girls who worked there. I even (tried to)hit on a cute, tall, skinny guy who worked there. I let him borrow my copy of Crumb. That went nowhere. Last night, thought, we had a great time catching up, listening to old-school Sebadoh, and making fun of people. I thought "This is just like old times, but better."

work tales

This woman,a regular customer who always comes in with her elderly mother, was in the store tonight and while i was bagging her groceries, she grabbed the Robitussin that she was purchasing and said "I think I'll try this now." She opened the package and took a sip. Then another. I helped her and her mother out to the car. Trying to be friendly I asked the old woman if she was ready for Halloween. A blank stare followed by an "I guess." I honestly didn't expect more than that. The woman always talked about her mom as if she wasn't there or was deaf or something, and I just wanted her to feel noticed.
As I walked to the car, and even after I had loaded the groceries into the car, I saw that the woman had not stopped sipping the Robitussin. Right before she got in the car she said "This doesn't taste very good." She kept sipping the bottle as she got in the car. I'm sure it was gone by the time she got home.

video killed the blogger

Now that I have the capability to edit video on my computer, I was thinking of doing a video blog entry. The problem is I have even less to blog about with video than I do with text. So rather then force it, I'll just wait until somehting comes up. In the meantime, here's a video of me six-packing beer at work, set to some really exciting music. It takes practice to be able to do it that fast.

ok, so....quick update

I just talked to my dad. He's doing just fine. He seemed puzzled that I even asked how he was doing. He also said that my grandma is doing fine, not showing much emotion as usual. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my family maintains it's usual stoicism, even with the death of the partiarch, a man who was the epitome of stoicism himself. I told my dad how I was feeling, even though I know that it makes him uncomfortable when I do that. He told me that grandpa would say, "Oh, don't worry about it," and he was right. He also pointed out that it wasn't a big surprise, he was 90 years old, after all.

He did tell me that my grandma, who is usually very independent, surprised him by wanting someone to stay with her overnight. I told him this didn't surprise me because, despite her independence, she always had my grandpa right there with her.

it's been quite a week

There were a lot of stressful things going on, but nothing I couldn't handle. All of those things have been resolved, also. Among other things, my tests are over and my water heater is fixed. while these things were coupled with my full work and school schedule I managed to maintain a positive attitude and cheerful demeanor. On Tuesday my Grandpa passed away and that sort of pushed me to a limit I don't think I've been to. I managed to maintain that positive attitude at work and school all the while feeling like a zombie. There was this thing that was trying to get into my brain but I was just too tired to let it sink in. The only time I felt like myself was when I talked to Jeremy about my Grandpa, the only time I gave myself to reflect upon it.

Today, I finally let it sink in. I talked to my mom, KC, and KC's mom on the phone.
I'm feeling much better now. Talking to KC always makes me feel better. I'll fly home next week and get to see my family, be there for my dad, my sister, my Grandma and everyone else. I don't know how my sister is doing other than she's in too bad of shape to talk to me yet. I haven't heard about my brother, either. He and I don't talk much. I'm going to call home now and hopefuly talk to my dad. I've only talked with my mother so far. Talking to my dad will help me know more about how he's doing and how my grandma is doing. Just thinking about her makes me tear up. I think about how she and my grandpa were almost never apart. They did everything together, even if they didn't do very much. I have no idea what's going to happen to her or the house they lived in since the 50's, or any of that. I feel so far away from my family right now, I really wish I could be with them. I can't believe I almost thought of not going down there.

On the plus side, both of my classes have been canceled for tomorrow. That will give me time to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Starlight Angel

When i was in 8th grade, i watched an anime movie called "Robot Carnival." It was mostly lame, but there was one segment I really liked. I like the music, the lame love story and the robot fight. Thank Google for Youtube.

poop cake? WTF!?!

A little over a year ago I agreed to go on a semi-blind date with this dude who kept bugging me about comics and Miranda July. We went on said date and you know, we're still partying. Turns out I'm totally gay for him.
this weekend we hung out, drank, ate, made poop cake, turned ourseves into the undead, watched a movie about jumping off bridges and listened to some great disco. I'd put links in here, but i have to go to school. Stupid Higher education.

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just checking in

school:
had a math test on friday. feel confident about it. the teacher says these next two weeks are the most difficult of the class. I'm starting to like math, it's like solving little puzzles.
gave an intorduction presentation in communication class. we needed two things that represented our past, our present and our future. I had:
-a pineapple
-the cover to the Boont Dusties album
-a computer printed Stephen Shore photo
-a notepad from work
-a copy of Atomic Ranch magazine
-a croissant
they were all in a small box for holding comic books. i left all of them in my math class today. meh.

what else?
my computer. My dad mailed my sister's to me and I had to mail it back. Mine was supposed to be here today, but no one was home to recieve it. my sleeping beauty volunteered to nap at my place to intercept my sisters, but today my roommate, cesar, wasn't home from work when it came. the sticker they left didn't say whether or not they would try again tomorrow. that section was left blank. my dad said he'd pay me back for shipping my sister's computer to her, but really, how can i ask that of him? he bought me a freaking computer!

And I am now paying to watch Passions, and excited about it. They're getting into Furries.


oh, and today i only spent a total of $3.77. Three cheers for frugality.

people in my house

Tom is always in the way.



Christina



Amber and Cesar



Tom



David

while i have a moment

My dad has my computer and says he'll "try to send it this week." That's sooner than I had hoped!
My first week of school went well. I'm still learning how to budget my time, although I think I did OK last week, with one exception. On Thursday I went to happy hour at Bleu with Chelsea instead of napping and doing my homework so I had to catch up on the math. I'm pretty much caught up now. Keeping my mind occupied has calmed me somewhat. My brain just had way too much free time for it's own good. It's a lot easier to go into robot mode at work. I feel further removed from the job, and at the same time I'm doing better work, in my opinion. But I sure am tired a lot.

Here's my take on my classes:

Interpersonal communication- It's gotten a lot easier for me to talk to strangers, sometimes I even do it voluntarily. Yes I still dread being put into groups or giving speeches but I have to say now I can do so with minimal effort. Before I moved to Seattle I rarely spoke a word to anyone unless poked with a stick. I already got in front of the class and told them that I've watched Days of Our Lives all my life.

Beginning Algebra- Took it once in 1995, once in 1999, and here I am again. This stuff just doesn't want to stick in my brain. For a subject that has little or no room for interpretation it can be quite complicated. I'm picking it up well, though. I think the fact that I am annoyed by the younger kids in class who say "What do we need this for?" is a good sign. I paid good money to learn this stuff, you little brat!

Yoga- makes me sleepy. It's fun, though. Here's hoping it will make me even more limber than I already am.

waiting...

Waiting for rectangular brown things seems to be all the rage these days. I'm waiting on my new espresso brown Dell Inspiron 1521. My dad got it for me because I'm back in school. The reason it's taking so long, however, is because of an uncharacteristic lapse in judgement on my father's part. He had the thing shipped to him and he was going to mail it to me. "Why?" one might ask? I have no idea, it makes no sense. So it came to his house while he was at work so he wasn't there to sign for it. I'm not sure where it is right now. bopping around California somewhere, I'm sure. When I get it, I'll let you all know so you can stop worrying.

old skool

Tomorrow is the first day of my four-year (probably more like five-year)road to a bachelor's degree. I'm starting classes at Seattle Central in an attempt to...well, I'm not sure yet. I know most people don't get jobs based on their major...oh, I don't have time to muse about the metaphysics of college degrees, I should be in bed! I just want to make my Internet rounds first. And did I pick the right school or what? Look how amazingly gay this ID card is:

supermarket sexy

...and can you believe we all got talked to today about not working hard enough? Oh, I was working it!

It's like one of my bosses says, "You gotta have fun with it."

'passions' for life

Recently Passions, the soap opera that actually caused me to start this blog last year, was cancelled on NBC but picked up by a network on DirectTV. I don't have cable much less a satellite provider, so I, like many other Passions fans, am going without. There is talk about having the episodes online in the future, most likely for a small fee.
Fortunately I discovered that NBC.com is posting highlights from the newly moved soap. This way I can kind of keep tabs on my addiction. I'm sure you are all dying to know what's been happening as well.

-Because a lot of actors didn't make the move to DirectTV, a lot of them were killed off. The most recent to bite the big one? Fox Crane.

-Eve thinks her hermaphrodite serial killer son has fallen off a cliff. Of course he survived. Now she's drinking herself into oblivion as he watches from a distance, planting pills to make sure she stay sedated.

-The mystery man the Gwen has been talking about for months turns out to be a baby that she had with Ethan. She took off a while ago and everyone thought she was barren ever since Theresa caused her to have a miscarriage. She came back with a baby. Some thing's afoot.

goodbye girls

Not too long ago, I posted a video about my friend/coworker Chelsea. Well, she's no longer a coworker, she quit last week. I am pretty bummed about it for a lot of reasons, but think it's for the best for a lot of other reasons. I realized that Chelsea is that last of the girls to leave my work. In the last few months four of the girls I close the store with have left, mostly for school. I still have Betsy, but she doesn't close with me very much. Now it's a total sausage party, and not in the cool way.
I had a nice balance of guy friends and girl friends at work. There are certainly some conversations I had with the girls, especially Chelsea, that I wouldn't have with the guys. I'm also worried that the machismo at that place will go through the roof. The guys who run it are already sexists. Oh, well, there is some good news...

Winter is coming! As I walked to work in the rain yesterday I felt the excitement of the seasons changing. I love fall and winter and today I could smell it. Not just that rainy smell but something more, something that says "It's going to be cold! Cuddle and be hugged!" Another reason I love it...work will be slow. I have already been doing crosswords and drawing on beer boxes and reading magazines to pass the time. Today, in Adbusters, I found a poem that I actually like! I'll post it here, dedicated to Chelsea.


Goodbye
I do not wish to be led down the garden path.
Why the offended look?
I have seen beauty in those petals,
marvelled at how they glisten
softly
in the morning dew.
But now dusk threatens
And I do not wish to go.

-Sophie McKeand

across the universe

I did a lot this weekend. I conquered one universe and traversed what felt like another universe.
I moseyed on over to Jeremy's place after work on Friday night, forcing him, Matthew and Steve2 to cease the 3-player game of Twilight Imperium they were starting so that I could join in. We started learning this game the previous Friday and I still don't think we have the rules all down yet. Although we are getting faster at setting the game up. We played for way too long and stayed up way too late. Jeremy and I had to get up early because we had a big day ahead of us!

Earl and Bucko came by at about 8:15 am(I'm usually not up before 10) to take us on a hike! We hiked to Mirror Lake and I tells you it was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Endor. It was a lovely cloudy day with the sun peaking through once in a while, and one of the best things I noticed about being this far away from the city was how quiet it was. Don't get me wrong, I love the sights and sounds of the city, but it was nice to not being constantly bombarded with stimuli.
The trail itself was quite a workout. I certainly did not have the proper footwear. This is not because I thought my shoes would be adequate, but because I just plum forgot when packing my stuff for the weekend. Needless to say, my feet were a bit tender afterwards. Jeremy and I also left our lunches in the car like a couple of douche bags.
Here's some photos that Earl took and was kind enough to share:








After the hike it was back home for a shower and nap before playing more TI3 sans Steve2. One pizza, several beers and a few hours later, one man emerged victorious. That's right folks. Winner of the first completed game of Twilight Imperium...me. Even though we still may not have the rules figured out.

happy birthday, kc!!!

creepy/hot

Last night while talking on the interweb, my gentleman caller sent me a picture of Jake Gyllenhaal with a beard. Not this one, but I couldn't find the other one again. I guess he just shaved it off according to the celebrity blogs. Here's a paraphrased version of the conversation the followed:
Phil: aw, dang.
Jeremy: what?
P: Nothing.
J: Tell me
P: I just started growing my beard back.
J: OMG, me, too!
Are we doomed to always look like each other? That's fine with me, I suppose. I don't mind looking like him. My man is freaking adorable. Gyllenhall's all right, too. He's the only one I'll allow into a threesome.

chelsea at pike place

My friend/co-worker Chelsea has a temporary gig selling this guy's art at Pike Place Market. I caught up with her on her first day a while ago and made this video. I got there as she was taking everything down for the day so it's mostly her talking about it as we drank through the afternoon. And like most of my videos, the freaking audio is out of synch as the video goes on.

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