The Boy Perambulates Along The Promenade...

Eric writes:
I dropped off the proposal yesterday morning at 9:30.
And then my car broke on the freeway. It didn't die and come to a stop, but all the warning lights came on and no amount of stalk wiggling would indicate a lane change. I put down the window, and used my hand like in driver's ed to show when I was moving into another lane. It doesn't really matter anyway. Lots of dumb drivers abound in California (who just don't think they need to show anyone when they're about to change lanes).
I get to the Audi dealership in Santa Monica (I avoid Pasadena only 'cause that dealership feels a little snobby (they sell Bentleys, Porsches, Rolls Royces, and Jaguars alongside Audis (for awhile they had an xj220s sitting in the window)). Anyway, as nice as the Santa Monica dealership is (super nice), they didn't know how long it'd take to fix my car. I gave them the keys and walked over to the Promenade. I've never spent more than a couple of hours in the Santa Monica 3rd Street vicinity, and yesterday, it took up my entire day (from 10:15-5:30). What did I do? Not much, actually. Good lunch, good movie, lots of walking. Man, how many terrible street musicians can you see on one block? Many, it turns out. There was a farmer's market, so that was sorta fun. I saw these giant kiwifruits that looked like squashed potatoes, but I ended up buying enormous strawberries from a guy with a beard. Berry juice running down my chin, I made my way towards the beach. Where I saw something I'd never seen before: homeless people having sex. Now I'm all for free love and what have you, but in the middle of the day on a patch of grass right next to a busy street? Apparently so. I walked on, sweat coming through my suit(from the heat of the sun, not from witnessing the torrid bum-passion). After a movie, (Upside of Anger, which was pretty good, but boring with comedy thrown in for no reason except to be like American Beauty, lots of characters having laughter that feels forced, a wedding scene that feels so fake you feel they should've just had intertitles to explain what happened in that scene) I made my way back to the dealership. Met a nice salesman, who told me all the great cheap places to eat in Santa Monica. He said Bay Cities makes amazing Italian heros/subs/grinders/etc. To kill time, I checked out an 80,000 car in the showroom and the salesman told me he could get me a good deal on it. (Unless he can get it for me for free 'cause right now, I'm (being unemployed and whatnot) not really in the market for an Audi A8).
The car came out fixed. (And for free, 3 years of amazing warranty, thanks Audi). Not only fixed, they fully detailed it, cleaned it inside and out. Audi of Santa Monica, you're amazing. Thanks for fixing my car. And for the kindness.
Got in my dirtless car and drove around, enjoying the stopping power of new brake pads. Drove over to Dan Tana's, an L.A. institution. It's a red sauce Italian place. A-Scards, Alex and I joined T-Sag's to celebrate his 25th birthday. Place is overpriced, but with great service. (However, when they knocked our 2nd bottle of wine over, they cleaned it up, but didn't (as far as i'm aware) volunteer to not charge us for the wine or bring us more wine for free; this sucks in my opinion, i mean, if i was a waiter and spilled a bottle of wine onto a table, not only would i apologize profusely, i'd make damn sure that the next bottle is free). It's a fun place, but more about the experience than the actual food. (In NYC, there's a similar place (cheaper) called Piccolo Angelo in the West Village) Afterwards, we headed to Barney's Beanery, which is sort of an ex-frat boy, West End Bar like bar... Think pre-30 something's in Murray Hill in NYC and you have a decent idea of what this place is about. Lots of youthful sleaze, with a great beer selection. There was a nerdy couple making out in the booth to our left. I, of course, happened to look over, just as the girl nerd made a vulgar 2-handed gesture with her hands to the guy. One hand looked like it was playing a piano upside down, but I don't wanna get into details of what exactly was going on that grossed me out. I wasn't too grossed out however to share with T-Sags, A-Scards, and Alex what I'd witnessed. Pretty funny. I got very tired and left for home. One the drive back, I popped in the new Beck album. If you get it, I highly recommend getting the dvd version, 'cause in the DVD set you get the album on a CD but with additional bonus tracks, one of which, "Clap Hands" is something I hope to dance to for years to come. 4 remixes on it, one of which, the "Broken Drum" remix by Boards of Canada is good backwards organ-ish music supporting the pretty vocals. Thumbs-up. I'm not giving Guero a full review yet, 'cause my impressions of it are changing each time I listen to it. My 2 fav. Beck albums remain "Midnite Vultures" and "Mutations", but "Guero" is good shit. It's not the fun summertime record people expected from Beck's reunion with the Dust Brothers... It's something else entirely. I enjoy wearing my Aviator sunglasses and driving around this dirty town with "Guero" blasting from the stereo. "Hell Yes" doesn't feel to me like it should be on the album but every other song belongs. Wondering if "Hell Yes" should've been the kickoff to the album before the melancholy took the reins. The DVD itself is great. Haven't gotten to listen to it yet in Alex's car, but soon enough, I hope to...

Out like a belly button, Eric

P.S. Best Scissor Sisters/Beatles/George Michael/Aretha Franklin mash-up I've ever heard: DJ Earworm - No One Takes Your Freedom.mp3

P.P.S. Guess it's time to get cable: Bronson Pinchot is gonna be on Season 5 of The Surreal Life...

But I already passed kindergarten!

For our cinematography class tomorrow, we have to hand in a sketchbook w/ @ 75 images that reflect the kind of stuff we like and would like our own stuff to look like. I've spent most of last night and much of this afternoon culling images from all the NY Times Magazine's I've saved up since coming out to LA. It's a lot of cutting and pasting which isn't that fun. Also, now most of the mags have gaping boxes in them which'll make it harder for my offspring to read 50 years down the line (which is the only real reason anyone holds onto old magazines anyway).
Speaking of gaping boxes, I saw a skanked out ho/prosti(tute) at Baja Fresh today. She was in her late 40s, gnarly brown teeth, acid washed coochie-cutting jean shorts, a flourescent tank top, and what I assume were high heels on. She was w/ ostensibly her boyfriend, but to me, he looked like trouble. You see these folks walking the streets out in Hollywood in the middle of day everyday without fail. Sort of weird to see them in a fast food joint though. Boy were they hungry!

Read on only if you like baseball:
Here's my preliminary offense:
1B: Derrek Lee; poised to have another solid year for the Cubbies.
2B: Marcus Giles; if he stays healthy, he'll be batting .300, stroke 30 homers, score 100 runs, and drive in @ 90.
SS: A-Rod: gonna go after him hard. Pressure's off so he'll be back to his old MVP self.
3B: David Wright: my 1st Met.
C: Mike Piazza: my 2nd Met.
OF: Andruw Jones: had him last year and from the sound of it, his huge spring will carry over into the regular season; Carlos Beltran: my 3rd Met. Best outfielder in the game; Jim Edmonds: had him last year. Middle of a great lineup.
LOVE
ALEX

Weird

I don't know but seems to me like everyone in LA experiences at least one bad dream a week. I had mine last night and though a whole day's passed I remember enough of it to recount it here.
It takes place in the near future. I'm living in an apartment complex next door to one of my SC classmates. We're friends and she throws a party at her place. I can't remember if Eric and I are still roommates but he's at the party as are a bunch of other familiar faces as well as some unfamiliar ones. Folks drink and this classmate of mine and I get to talking about things that I can't remember but then some random dude butts so I leave them two to talking. Seems like she likes him and he her. CUT TO: the party's over and my friend's roommate knocks on my door and tells me to come over. My friend's in bed crying and I ask what happened and she tells me that the guy tried to rape her. She asks me to do something about it. I say of course and I go after this guy. Then I wake up: my heart's pounding and I'm angry. I wonder what would've happened had I been able to stay inside the dream longer. I don't know what it is about LA, but dreams here are pretty scary compared to those that float above NYC.
This weekend's huge for me: I have my fantasy baseball draft back in NYC. I joined my buddy Albert's league last year and had a blast doing it. I would've placed in the money had I not missed a month due to the move out here. Most of the guys involved are his friends and their friends from college so I don't know them all too well, but we have this message board where everybody posts something ridiculous (mostly about high school crushes and failed sexual conquests and dick/fart jokes) so I sorta feel like we've got enough in common. I'll be in town for about 38 hours so that should give me enough time to: 1) check out the Diane Arbus show at the Met; 2) Thomas Demand show at the MOMA; 3) Lunch w/ moms at Payard; 4) Dinner at BLT Steak; 5) Night out at Pravda.
Oh, and the Mets, the New York Mets, are gonna be unstoppable.
LOVE
ALEX

iBook works hard so I don't have too...

Eric writes:
Most Boring Post Ever!
It's 5pm on Monday. I haven't had a good night sleep in a few nights. Been so busy. Finished coverage today on scripts (went well) for a script reader job I applied for. Am now, back to working on the proposal, which keeps getting better, so that's good.
E-Mags is driving over for a brief visit. That's about all I have to report.
Yes, waking up early tomorrow, writing, buying the beck record, and then back home to finish this proposal.

All for now, Eric

Easter tip for NYC Jewish folk: Great day to go to the auto show

Eric writes:
Easter Sunday. I went to church with Alex this morning. Second time going to church with Alex ever. I really liked his church in NYC with Dr. Tim Keller: Redeemer. Today was fun, 'though much more California than any church I've been to ever. I had taken an all-natural-vegetarian-multi-vitamin before we left, so midway through, my breath tasted terrible. Feel bad for Alex's friend BH, who was sitting next to me. As I'm Jewish, I'd never been to an Easter service before. Good times. I bolted home afterwards to finish the rough draft of the proposal I'm writing. So no ham for me on Easter. When the sermon addressed the last supper being a Passover seder, I was thinking to myself, what a terrible meal to be your last dinner on Earth. Don't get me wrong, I love seders (I mean what other holiday do you get to dole out plagues on the Egyptians by dipping your pinkie into your wine glass), but for a last meal it sucks. Jesus gets to heaven:
"Oh, J.C. Sup, Sup? Welcome to Heaven. By the way, what'd you have for your last dinner on earth?"
"I had bitter herbs in saltwater, gefilte fish, and matzoh. Oh, and some lamb."
"Bummer."
"Tell me about it. No grilled cheese sandwiches. No chocolate cake. Just seder stuff."
"Bummer, man."
"You bet your ass it is."

Now, I'm about to read two scripts and write sample coverage for a division of a studio. I will restrain myself in my coverage and make no references to Robert Bresson or Andrzej Wadja. Wadja fucking rocks by the way. So jazzed for that Criterion set (as if I don't have enough DVD's), but I'll definitely Netflix 'em if I don't buy 'em.

It's my first Easter not on the east coast. Usually I'd be at the auto show with my Dad. That's what Easter usually means for me. Next year, I think I might fly back just to go with him. It's always a lot of fun (also great people watching).

Last night was Shleb's birthday. I joined for a short amount of time. It was fun. Ran into a girl I knew was out here, but had sorta been avoiding. We co-wrote a show in college that didn't go to well, despite the awesomely funny scenes I wrote. The best line clearly being, "Oh, these tight black pants? They’re free with Barnard tuition." It killed. When I say it didn't go well, it didn't mean the show didn't go well. The show was a big success. It just left me feeling pretty damn lousy, despite there being a phenomenal cast performing scenes I wrote in front of thousands (a few thousand total but that's many hundreds, and even hundreds of tens) of my fellow students. I'm tired. Gotta write coverage.

If you celebrate Easter, hope it was a happy one, Eric

P.S. Lo and behold, Beck album not out 'til Tuesday. Gonna buy the DVD 5.1 version and make Alex drive me around in his car, (which can play such discs) and listen to it in surround. Shall be fun.



P.P.S. If you enter "New Slang" into the search window of the itunes music store, 3 songs come up. 2 are "New Slang" by The Shins. The other song clearly isn't. Mind you, it's pretty vulgar even 'though I don't know what "slangging" is...

Throw a chair through a plate glass window; It's time. Dance Dance Revolution!

Eric writes: Dancing on a dancefloor is even better than dancing on a giant control pad. That's what I learned tonight. Um, I just got home. Was writing most of the night, and then went out to celebrate Neighbor Nat's birthday. At the bar, there was a dj. DJ's output resulted in me, Neighbor Matt, Matt's friend Andy and Nat's friend Miss D. hitting the dancefloor. Miss D. was a girl so it wasn't just some dudes stepping in time with the music. And honestly, you'd be proud. We danced like maniacs. I want to make a lot of Flashdance references but I haven't seen it since I saw it on cable as a kid. i remember something about an eating disorder, oh yeah, and there was dancing. Forget Flashdance. Tonight should've been a movie. I was wearing a plaid shirt (big surprise as plaid collar shirts are what fill my closet (along with everything to keep my room from looking messy (mind you, the last week my room has gotten the messiest it's been in a long time (be warned visitors to Claytonville))).

So yeah, dancing tonight.
Miss D. was a good dancer.
Matt, a good dancer.
Andy, pretty good dancer.
Me, not so much. I do well at weddings, jumping along to the music and throwing my arms up in joy. But when it comes to a dj playing electronic techno music, I don't fare as well. Nontheless, I pulled out all the stops tonight. It was more like hyperactive Eric playing make-believe than any real dancing.

Things I pretended to be while dancing (note, i never ever went into robot mode):]
a cowboy
an elephant
a fisherman (reeled andy in)
an airplane
the wave going through the crowd at a stadium
a siren
a bongo player
James Brown (guessing nobody could tell, it probably looked more like spasms than anything else)
a kangaroo
Mick Jagger
a speed skater
a mambo dancer who's simultaneously tap dancing (this is my best dance)
Spiderman
a t-rex
a dog (Miss D. would meow at me, and i would bark back)

There's more (yes, that was me doing the chickenwalk from "Blue Velvet"), but let's just say, people were entertained for the most part by our dancing. 'CAUSE nobody puts Nuggets in a corner. Other people were dancing, but these people were more about regular dancing. I got a thumbs up from a sleazy looking girl with a kangol hat, so i'm doing alright, eh? At the table, Miss D and I talked about retreats. I've never gone on one, and she went on a 5 day silent retreat. A-House, a friend from college had gone on one, and so I could sorta hold a conversation about it. 5 days? No words, no rhyming. Not the retreat for me. I think I'd like to go on one 'though, where you can talk and ask questions: "Yo, bra. Can I get seconds of lentils?", "Can I listen to my ipod while i meditate? My music relaxes me.", "I'm all about compassion and loving kindess but can I change roommates? Ken smells rank."

The project is going well. Gonna work on it for a little and then going to sleep. -Eric

P.S. Earthlink DSL keeps conking out. I think I'll give them a call to ask what gives.

Breakfast of Champions...

Eric writes:
No, not wheaties. Just went to Fred 62 and had scrambled eggs, toast, and 3 cups of coffee... I am now wired and working on my weekend projects. Well, actually typing into the blog. Was up at 7 this morning, writing, then at 10:30 had breakfast. And now am back, reading & writing until I need more caffeine. Alright, back to work Eric.

P.S. This weekend is gonna be a lot of work. It's gonna take discipline and lots of coffee.

P.P.S.

GUERO!

The new Beck album is supposed to come out next week. But it's already being sold in some record stores here in L.A. says a friend. Will have to hit Amoeba tomorrow and see if they're selling it yet. Dorkily yours, Eric




p.s. ewww, gross: file this under "finger lickin' good"...

Holed up...

Eric writes:

I've been inside most of today trying to work on 2 things for jobs I'm in the midst of applying for. Doing my best as these 2 jobs would be amazing ways to make a living. So hopeful, Eric

P.S. I've been making mix-CD's for A-Scards to play at work to impress her work friends with my knowledge/taste re:music. So, the long I love most on the most recent mixes is "Farewell Transmission" by Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co. I highly recommend spending a buck on itunes for it. Can't get enough of this fucking fantastic song. Sounds a little Neil Young. While trying to work on the mixes yesterday, I finally listened to The Wrens, a couple years too late. Their album, "The Meadowlands" is a great album to listen to while reading along to the lyrics. I thought Loudon Wainwright's Last Man On Earth was about as depressing as music about growing old can get. I was wrong. The Wrens album is about growing old, being a failure, and facing up to live a life where you've been defeated. Why is this good to listen to? I don't know. I can tell you, It's not listening to a band whining. The Wrens are laying their cards on the table about the cost of following rock n' roll dreams... check out wrens.com and download some mp3's. Read the lyrics here 'til you weep... check this out:
"I can't type
I can't temp
I'm way past college
no ways out
no back doors not anymore
but then once a while
we'll play a show then that makes it worthwhile
our sights set low"


P.P.S.

Melinda & Melinda

Oh man as much as Woody's gone down the shitter over the past decade or so, I still find myself catching his newest flicks. After a late afternoon iron pumping session, I noticed that the Arclight was showing Melinda & Melinda. And the timing was just right. I went and as thin as the movie was, boy did I love seeing New York City on the big screen. The film opens up in Pastis, one of my favorite old late night food joints---steak sandwiches to die fo!---, works its way around SoHo and the Upper East Side---if this whole film racket ever works out, I'm buying a Classic 5 up on the UES and gonna have 5 servants at my employ that'll put even Agnes Gund to shame, makes a slight detour through Central Park in the tawny glow of late afternoon, and settles down for two boozy scenes at Il Buco, a fantastic lil' joint on, I think, Great Jones St., where I had a lovely dinner with my folks and grandparents some years ago to celebrate grannies 60-somethingeth birthday. Place is so freaking romantic and candle lit: if you haven't checked it out yet, either take someone special or take grandma. I'm telling you, even the ugliest of you readers would look like angels there.
The movie was more enjoyable than it probably should've been but man did seeing New York---the lighting is fantastic---make me pine real hard not only for the city, but also for romance b/c hells yes, NYC in the Fall is sort of kneebendingly balls-out romantic. Unfuckingbeatable.

LOVE
ALEX

PO-PO

Past few nights I've been hitting the sack early b/c of the new Jonathan Safran Foer book I've been reading. It's helped me catch up on some much needed sleep which is not to say the book is boring. Anyway, last night I fell asleep reading it @ 11pm. @ 3:30 I wake up to what I think is an aircraft or UFO landing atop my next door neighbor's house. The sound was crazy loud/scary and just wouldn't go away. I tried ignoring it by burying my head underneath two pillows. Didn't work. Then I threw my comforter over the two pillows under which my head still laid. Didn't work. So after 10 minutes or so, I got up and looked out my window. Friends, I felt like Cuba Gooding Jr. in Boyz n the Hood. There was a po-po copter hovering incredibly close to the ground not more than 6 blocks from where we live. It had a super powerful search light that beamed down onto several houses that I've driven by countless times on the way to Trader Joes. I'm telling you, that light was intense, all Close Encounters-ish. Every night you see helicopters hovering over LA, but never do you see them so close to the ground, especially in Los Feliz. I mean the only crimes I think that are ever committed in this part of town are: 1)not giving money to environmental causes 2)having a Bush-Cheney bumper sticker 3)eating red meat. The po-po must've been going after someone who'd done something not good b/c the search light kept darting around for a good while longer. There was no gunfire thankfully, but that would've made for a better story. Was I scared? A little but the search light continued in the opposite direction which meant things were safe where we were though who knows how competent the po-po are. Eventually, the helicopter left. Which was good. But b/c of the interruption the rest of the night I had some vivid dreams that ranged from sad/bittersweet (one about bumping into an exgirlfriend years down the line) to funny (landing on an aircraft carrier just in the nick of time to witness my cousin's marriage to his sister-in-law's younger sister). Dreams I could've done with out. Anyway, that helicopter incident gave me a better feel for LA than just about anything else I've experienced.
LOVE
ALEX

Stitches Out, Sunshine In...

Eric writes:

Thanks to everyone for coming out on Friday night in New York. Had a great time at Wogie's. On Saturday, P-Getz, E-Nolte and I met up at Lombardi's (where I'd already been this trip) for a wonderful lunch. E-Nolte and I went on a walk around SOHO (where people are dressing really stupid these days. Guess the Olsen Twins really are laying the groundwork for the ugliest fashion combos I've seen in awhile. There was a woman who looked very nice, aside from wearing what looked like a dirty multi-colored carpet ripped out of a '70's van.) Anyway, the walk was fun, but the gossip about my old employer in New York was fuckin' incredible. Despite the law firm pulling in what seemed to me to be a huge amount of money per month, there've been big changes. People were let go, salaries were reduced, and all of this, right before Christmas. Ouch. Maybe I left for L.A. at a good time. Anyway, hopefully all my former co-workers are doing okay. E-Nolte is doing great. She's gonna be a kick-ass FBI agent someday soon. Hopefully, she'll take it easy on me when I get busted by the feds in a Crown Royal Whiskey Smuggling Ring. I'll be like, "all i wanted to do was make Royal Royal Crown Crown a household word." and they'll just tell me to tell it to the jury... Anyway, it's all more interesting to me than it is to any of you so I'm keeping it short. E-Nolte insisted on paying for lunch. Thanks E-Noltz. It was great to see you...

Dad took the stitches out yesterday and then drove me to the airport. Flight back was good, and I didn't freak out too much when I looked at the guy next to me in baggage claim and it was Luis Guzman. I love the first half of "Boogie Nights". I've seen Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly in real life, but for some reason, seeing Luis made me so happy. He has an enormous head. I stopped staring, got my baggage and drove home. (I hadn't taken painkillers on the flight so I could drive home without crashing/daydreaming/etc.) I don't know exactly what happened, but the hood of my car loosened when I went over a bump on the 405 near Redondo Beach. I pulled off at an exit that I wouldn't usually pull off at. Not hungry for adventure, I slammed the hood shut, and continued my drive home. It's been raining a lot in L.A. this year, so the sky is blue on sunny days now and the sun isn't choking on smog. For a drive along major freeways, it was quite a pretty drive. Last night, Alex and I had spicy tofu and then joined Greg K. and Mo-T at the Vista to watch The Ring 2. I hadn't seen the first one, and I was asleep for about half the movie. What I saw was dumb and lousy. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I mean, I love creepy kids and any movie with CGI deer attacks. Just felt bad for the people who worked hard to make a great sequel to what people say is a very good horror flick. Also, bewildered that a major plot point (this might constitute a SPOILER, so don't keep reading if you care about the plot of a movie that should've gone straight to video) involved a mother (Naomi Watts) attempting to drown her son (creepy boy) in a bathtub. Yeah, I know it's related to the ghost in the well and whatnot, but seriously, moms going crazy and drowning their children are scary enough in real life. but then again, Ring 2 is supposed to be scary. All's well. Got a 2nd interview for a job I'm crossing my fingers for. It'd be the best job I've ever had, so here's hoping, Eric

Bumpless : Chapter 2

Eric writes:
I just got back from the doctor. Really nice friend of my Dad who somehow fit me into his schedule at late notice.
First a topical solution which made the bumps go numb. Then came the needle into the scalp delivering
some lidocaine. More numb. From here on out, I couldn't see/feel what was going on with the procedure. I chatted it up with the doctor about skiing, indie rock, and movies. It took a while but eventually he gutted my bumps, put in some stitches, sauterized my scalp closed. He told me that the numbness would wear away and gave me some prescription painkillers. Bumps are being sent to the lab to be analyzed. My guess: Too many dumb rhymes taking place in my head needed to be stored somewhere...
At this point, head is still numb, but I have a feeling I might be pretty sore in a few hours. Dad just took a look and said "that's gonna hurt." I was gonna go into the city tonight but i'll play it by ear (It's 10:18pm as I edit this post. I didn't make it into the city. My generic painkiller has rendered me goofy.) Newly-Smoothscalped Mofo, Eric

P.S. Wall Street Journal today had an article about Physics songs... Here's a link to one of them that I dare you to read in its entirety: Rap about the sun

P.P.S. There were Spring Breakers all over South Beach last Saturday. I said, "it looks like a breeding ground for herpes and regret."

Bumpless in '05

Got back to Connecticut last night. Hopefully going into the city tonight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with lotsa friendly drunks. But first...

At 12:30 today, a doctor here in connecticut is cutting into my head and removing two bumps I've had since sophomore year. Why do I want this done? So when I end up Telly Savalas bald in my mid-30's, I've got a smooth shiny scalp for people to point at. Sorta nervous as I don't know why this entails. But I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

And tomorrow, Friday night at 10pm, I'll be holding court at Wogie's in the west village in NYC.

I LOVE GREEN BEER, ERIC

P.S. If you need to, you can listen to the new beck album at NME
P.P.S. The Tron Guy, Jay Maynard still inspires me:

SCAREDY CAT

Friday night's screening went well. What conspired afterwards is blogworthy. So a bunch of us went to the Golden Gopher for post-screening drinks and revelry. An hour or so into it, a classmate of mine comes over to where I was standing, Bud in hand, lollygagging w/ Leebs, Innes et al. Let's call her the POLE. The POLE grabs me by the arm and tells me she wants to introduce me to a friend of hers, a really cute gal sitting w/ her friends over on the other side of the bar. I was like no no, I just wanna hang w/ my friends, POLE, I'm not good at meeting new persons in loud bars especially if it's one of those "hey, this is my friend Alex, he likes French movies, you do too don't you?" situations, POLE, I'm a fucking superb listener but, to be honest, not tonight, POLE, come on, POLE, I'm a pussy I suck, POLE, etc. etc. But she's a dear friend so I walk. All I could think about as I followed her to the other end of the bar was I'm a student w/ little time to commit to someone else so what's the point. But as the approach neared, I caught a good look at the gaggle of ladies and they seemed like nice folk so I felt less pressure to put on a show. They see us coming and I see that they see us coming which is really awkward b/c it makes everything so painfully obvious. Anyway, POLE tells me to sit on what I perceive to be nothing more than a cushioned footstool, next to the girl she wants to introduce me to. To make matters even more awkward is that I trip over the fucking thing and have to make a self-deprecating crack, something like "whoa, who's had one too many?" (topped off w/ a shiteater's grin and two thumbs pointed at my nips), self-deprecating cracks which of course signal one's humiliation and are generally terrible and not very funny. But whatever, I sit and the POLE squeezes her ass onto the edge of the cushion and leans over and introduces me to her friends, in particular the single one, whom we'll call TEXAS for now. I introduce myself to them and to TEXAS and we start talking. The banter's really good and TEXAS's friendly and very attractive and I feel at ease talking to her, but I couldn't get over one thing: TEXAS is a good 5 years older than me. Knowing this kills. You can say all you want about how legit dating up an age-bracket is these days, but I couldn't get over it. I'm a lowly student, TEXAS's got a career; I have no decorations on the wall, TEXAS lives in Beverly Hills; TEXAS wears make-up well, most girls my age don't at all; I love talking about shit, literally, TEXAS'd probably find it immature and rightly so; I still look like a teenager, TEXAS is all woman, etc. etc. If it just came down to having a good time, I think I'd be fine dating someone 5 years older than me, but after doing all these calculations in my head, I believe she'd think me too young for her, that what we'd want from each other wouldn't be in sync, that my immediate future is something she'd already lived through and done with and that her immediate future is one I don't want to contemplate till much further along on the timeline. I'd be up for dating and going to nice restaurants and getting dressed up and buying things for TEXAS (from Barneys which she told me she doesn't go to which made me feel a little better about our age diff), but that probably wouldn't be enough. I know I'm making some wicked assumptions, but I can't help it. In any case, I sat across from her for a good 45 minutes before Leebs and Innes came over and I walked with them outside. I didn't get her number or email but I should've despite all that was rushing through my head as we chatted. If only A) I were older, B) she were younger, C) I wasn't such a scaredy cat.

Now, I can't stop thinking about her and how my neuroses got in the way of opportunity. TEXAS TEXAS TEXAS! I talked about her incessantly to my buddy Jason---who's dating some 9 years his senior---over the past two days at Mammoth where a few of us went to ski and relax and grow sore. He gave some choice advice which I mostly agreed with the most resourceful and obvious one being that I have nothing to lose. Can't let age get in the way of life right? I mean, 5 years is nothing right? Then again, when she was 5, I was naught. Whatever she's really attractive and it'd be nice to hang with some more people outside of the CU/USC world.

But I fucked up at the bar by not getting her info. What am I going to do? I think I need someone to kick me in the balls.

LOVE
ALEX

Monkey Jungle!

Not only did I get to feed peanuts to primates yesterday, a monkey peed on my head! Will fill this post in later. Having a great time in Miami. NYC friends, I'll be out on the town in New York on Friday night. -Eric


Things i've eaten in Miami:
1. A Cuban Sandwich at Versailles. Sources (other than citysearch/chowhound) said this is one of the best cuban sandwiches in town. Versailles is completely different than the L.A. Versailles (I don't think they're connected). It's sorta the Canter's/2nd Ave. Deli of Cuban Restaurants. It's simple food that serves a mostly Cuban clientele. Prettiest girls I've seen in Miami were sitting at a table towards the back. I'm convinced they were stars from Spanish television.... Drove around Calle Ocho to see what it's all about. Honestly, it's a dump. I expected it to be people dancing in the streets, drinking rum, singing songs. It isn't, at least on a Monday afternoon. No wonder Elian Gonzalez wanted to go back to Cuba, if this is all he saw of the United States. Sorry, I'm sure there's great stuff in Calle Ocho, but to me it looked like fast food, hair salons, and auto repair shops.

2. Stone Crab claws at Joe's Stone Crab. This place is supposed to be the best, despite being touristy. It's like a great steakhouse but with crab claws instead of steak (great bar, great sides, etc.) except for one thing: I thought the crab tasted bland and mushy. Thumbs down to flavorless crab. Thumbs up to great side dishes.

3. Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House. Roadfood.com, the website that lists some of the unhealthiest/tastiest food you can get in remote parts of the country, had this place listed. It's just like a New York jewish deli. Think 2nd Ave. Think Canter's. I had a Reuben one day, and was so impressed by their great work product, I drove back for a turkey sandwich the next day. Everything is on fresh bread. The best rye bread I've had outside of Connecticut. This place is as good as most. Just good to eat some good deli food. I really don't go to Canter's much in L.A.

4. Roger's is a beautiful restaurant on the water. Unfortunately, Zagat's was wrong about this place. I'll tell you: shittiest meal I've eaten in a long time. They're a fairly recent restaurant doing pretty pedestrian fare. I'm sorry, but they brought out my mom's chicken salad sans chicken. Great place to go drinking in the Miami area. But other than french fries, I'd skip the food. My salad had brown lettuce. Roger to Roger's: Clean up your act. Mediocrity will only take you so far in life. On the other side, our waitress was crazy.

Oh, lemme get to talking about the monkeys!!! This place is a few acres of paths, and costs an excessive 18 bucks per adult for the privelege of seeing unhappy monkeys. There are cages along the way with various monkeys. Tubes lead to these cages. You drop raisins and nuts down the tubes, and the monkeys eat them. At the cageless monkey swimming pool, you can throw peanuts into the water and watch as the monkeys swipe the nuts out of the water with their hands. This is a lot more fun than it sounds. There aren't a lot of staff standing around watching you, so I guess people feed all sorts of weird stuff to the monkeys (I'm thinking marshmallows, cool ranch doritos, mozzarella sticks, etc.). I stuck to peanuts, but did consider buying a pizza bagel at the snack bar and seeing if an orugantan would come out of its cardboard box (yes, orangs were hiding out in cardboard boxes, and all I could think of was writing a story where a homeless man who lives in a cardboard box befriends a monkey that lives in a cardboard box). This place, like zoos, smells like animal shit in places, only more intense. During most of the walk through the small area that consists Monkey Jungle, you are in an enclosed walkway that small monkeys scamper over. These monkeys drop down little metal cups on chains, for you to drop raisins/nuts/food-of-any-sort into. These monkeys are trained well to beg. They shake the chains to make noise so you hear them. It's hard to tell if they're really appreciative of the food or not. They don't use sign language to say "thank you" or any Project X shit like that at all. At one point, I gave a monkey a peanut, and looked up as he ate it. He then gave his thanks by peeing onto my head. This was a first in my life. Dad and K were amused. And I was proud. I mean, having a bird shit on me while on our last family vacation in 2003 was pretty exciting (mostly 'cause we were eating inside!) but this was different. Just 'cause I'd interacted with the monkey pre-mituration. I fed it, and then it peed on me. Most of the monkeys at the place were little monkeys but there were a few big ones. There were gibbons with a baby gibbon that was just learning to walk. I'm not one of those people who goes crazy for baby animals thinking they're the cutest thing (all I'm thinking is, if I get an animal that lives in my house, I want one that already knows not to shit on the carpet and newborn puppies/kittens don't know this). Anyway, the baby gibbon trying to walk was so cute to watch. Eventually, it gave up and went to sleep. It's mother swooped it up and took the baby in her arms. Such a sweet moment. We left the park but not before stopping at the gift shop.

This post is gonna expand even more, so save room. Peed on by primate, Eric

French Toast For Dinner? Yep.

Eric writes:

Mom, Dad, Sister K, and I couldn't decide where to eat dinner last night. It looked like we were gonna hit Les Halles (yes, I guess there's one down here, too), and then flipping through Zagat's, I hit a description of Norman's. My mom's eyes lit up. "We're going!" she informed us. I explained that Zagat's said this place was really expensive and that I'd be happy eating cuban sandwiches from a food cart and drinking Miller High LIfe on the beach. We started our drive over to Norman's. It took a while to find as street signs were hard to see or non-existent. After a lot of, "Let's just give up and go to Chili's" or "If this place isn't worth the drive...", we stumbled upon it. Chef's name is Norman Van Aken. Winner of James Beard Association's "Best Chef of the Southeast" and all sorts of other awards, he's got quite a menu (which changes regularly; lists where a lot of his suppliers come from (all over the world)... Here's what I ate:

Okay, I made a strange decision for a beverage to go with my first plate. I ordered a glass of Sake. Here's how it started:
1. My Down Island French Toast with Curacao Scented Foie Gras, Griddled Brioche, Passion Fruit Caramet and Gingery Candied Lime Zest.

Then I went for a plate of meat:
2. Snake River Farms' Wagyu Strip Loin and Braised Short Ribs with Salsa Verde and a Gratin of Name, Roasted Garlic and Smoky Idiazabal.

Were these good choices? Yes. Curiosity regarding french toast with foie gras was what stopped me from going into full glutton mode and getting the tasting menu. Um, did the french toast blow my mind? You betcha'. Dad wasn't so into it, but as combinations I haven't had before go, it was pretty great. It's like the Wylie Dusfrene version of the usual plebian pancakes&bacon breakfast. The Strip Loin/Short Ribs Combo was great 'though the short ribs were off the bone and almost too tender (I like 'em a little sinewy and less the texture of pulled-pork). The Strip Loin was a well-salted bloody piece of meat (a very rare medium rare (more red than pink, which I think is great)). (Alex, you'll be proud to know: my mouth didn't hurt after this meal.) But yeah, the french toast was definitely the thing I liked most. The caramel syrup didn't overpower the foie gras at all. Foie gras is a food born out of cruelty, but damn, those birds yield a great liver. "But Daddy, I want a golden goose!" Finding myself with a dearth of words to describe the greatness of the meal. At the end, my sister tried a dulce-de-leche-from-chile cheesecake. I skipped dessert and found myself too full to take advantage of the impressive cheese choices. Norman Van Aken, keep on keeping on. Will try the Norman's in Los Angeles as soon as I can afford to. Thanks to Mom and Dad for footing the bill (which always makes a meal like this taste even better, somehow).

It's Saturday. I've worked out and walked on the beach. The weather is great here. It's warm like Los Angeles, but without the thick brown haze clinging to the sky. Pretty relaxed. Great to be hanging with Mom, Dad, and K. Trying to get to Little Havana to try some cuban sandwiches at some point. That's all the news right now. Your glutton in Florida, Eric

P.S. Fashion Folks/Beck fans: A mix Beck made for Dior Homme Read more at: http://men.style.com/fashion/collections/S2005MEN/review/CDMEN


P.P.S. The chimpanzee attack
in California resulted in a weird dream last night, that involved chimpanzees cooking spaghetti for baby chimpanzees at a restaurant, and then me getting yelled at by the chimps when I walked into the kitchen to watch how they made fresh pasta. Gonna re-read that T.C. Boyle story about chimps when I get back to L.A. I remember liking it a lot... Trying to convince my Dad to join me on a trip to a place nearby our hotel in Miami called "Monkey Jungle". Here's an excerpt from the Frommer's review: "Personally, I think this place is disgusting. It reeks, the monkeys are either sleeping or in heat, and it's really far from the city... If you can stand the humidity, the smell, and the bugs(flies, mosquitoes, and so on)" - Yeah, This sounds like a place that I need to see. It's only a 8 or so miles away from the hotel, I think. They have a "Wild Monkey Swimming Pool". Sign me up!

Miami Gone Wild! (Ain't No Party Like a Don Simpson Party!)

Eric reached the land of Jeb:
Spring Break is in full force here at a beach I went to today. It's hella hilarious. There are kids up to all sorts of drunken mischief. Didn't realize there were gonna be so many college kids running around. You'd think they'd be talking about college stuff, what they study, career plans, writing a thesis, etc. But no, this is America. And kids just wanna drink 18 packs of beer, do body shots, engage in pre-marital shenanigans, and celebrate youth. I approve.
I left L.A. for New York yesterday morning. Last night, I stayed up all night in New York. I'd forgotten my jacket in my car in L.A. Luckily Paul lent me his. Lombardi's last night? I know that a lot of people like Grimaldi's. A lot of people like John's. They are both great. But for me, my favorite is Lombardi's (which has expanded into two big rooms). Meatballs and red onions decorated the masterpiece baked in their famous coal oven. I've been eating pretty healthy in L.A. and part of that must be attributed to the mediocre pizza. I had 3 slices last night and it's one of the first meals in recent memory where I really took the time to taste the food. The pizza's nothing fancy. Fresh dough, baked 'til crisp, with a sauce that isn't the corn-syrup addled bullshit that crappy pizza places try to pass off on you, mozzarella (that originally comes in a ball form, not a Polly-O block). Block Mozz does have it's place on pizza, and that's at the original Patsy's in East Harlem. Martha's friends were dancing at a club, but we skipped that, went back to the apartment and sorry to dissapoint, watched the DVD of "Arrested Development". Afterwards, I took my bags up to Columbia. The subway got stopped for a police investigation, so to go the five or so miles up to Columbia from downtown took over an hour. Met up with my sister, K, and gave her birthday presents, which she liked. Went off for a little walk with B-Talbs. She's heading to Hong Kong in a few days for what sounds like an amazing trip.
At 3:00am this morning, K and I jumped in a cab to the airport(JFK). They were ready for long delays (due to the storm which has since hit) and had cots set up for people to sleep in if there flights were canceled. I'd been up since 4am PST the previous day and was a little tired. So when Mom & Dad showed up, and we got on the plane, I was ready to fall asleep. It was not to be. Sleeping on airplanes is a little difficult. So when we got off the plane, my eyes stung. Dad went off to get the rental car. (Came back with a enormous white Cadillac.) While waiting for Dad, a man dressed like what I'd imagine a well-dressed pimp to dress like (giant feather in his hat, super-nice suit, alligator shoes, lotsa jewelry) started talking to us (He was waiting for his ride to pick him up). "Isn't America great?" and then he told us his amazing life story which didn't involve any pimping at all. Just working hard, starting a business, and earning money to buy a nice vacation home in Miami, and send his kids to college. Yeah, pretty early on in his story, I felt like a jerk for thinking of his outfit as pimpware. But seriously, if you're a man and you're not Mr. T, wearing more than 5 giant gold rings, bling bling bracelets on each hand, and a Rolex, you look like a pimp. But then again, I don't know that many pimps. Except for back in high school in Westport, Connecticut. Main Street Westport is all about well-dressed pimps maintaining their ladies by J-Crew. (American Pimp is a weird movie by the way. Unless of course you're from Wisconsin, and seeing the Pimp-Of-The-Year awards take place in Wisco is well-worth the price of admission. Paul's from Wisconsin originally so he was amused). You know what they say. Westport ain't no joke. It's a tough 'hood (I mean, compared to Greenwich or Darien). Listening to this self-made guy, I really wanted to start a company. Piso Mojado Industries. Informing People of Wet Floors Since 2005. Dad showed up in the Cadillac. We piled in and drove to the hotel, which is not the one we were gonna originally stay in apparently. This hotel is amazing. There's the nicest gym I've ever seen in a hotel. And it's on the beach. That's enough, but it doesn't stop there. High speed internet, so I can waste time reading jasonmulgrew.com (depressed paralegal website) and jalopnik.com (car site) and missing connections at craigslist (for example: M4W, Phyllis Diller lookalike, ran into you in the bathroom at the Viper Room. You: white-wigged and gorgeous, doing coke off a banister. Me: Bespectacled Mormon with a penchant for gardening and Friars-Club-Roleplaying-In-Bed. Did I miss something? Or did we have a moment? Lady,Holla at your boy, JD)

Showed my Mom the Best-Of Section at citysearch miami. I didn't know Dan Merino had a restaurant. It must be delicious. I mean, if there's one thing Dan Merino knows, it's how to cook a great meal. Have to run and grab dinner (I think we might try the famous crab place. And yes, if they sell a "I Got Crabs in Miami t-shirt, I'll, as expected, buy one for my wardrobe), Eric

DONE

Had my mix at 8 AM this morning meaning that I am done w/ my film! Yahoo! Now I can actually do what I love to do: go see movies! And sleep! And blog more often for you dear readership!
The mixer was really fucking cute and funny and sweet and professional, but Mo, my partner, said I blew it with her b/c after we finished, we said our thank yous and catch you laters, but apparently, I just said bye a couple of times w/o looking at her one last time, that I just said bye and thanks as I was walking out the door thereby leaving her left hanging sans some sort of sexual oozing on my part. According to Mo, she looked as if she was not only taken aback, but also disappointed that I didn't, I don't know, hold her hand and gently embrace her side, or tell her, let's go bone in the machine room. Let's face it, I'm a moron when it comes to reading signals or maybe it's b/c as my boy Greg says of me, "cinema is your mistress." In any case, she was crazy attractive but in the end, more Mo's type than mine.
I'm gonna take a nap now and hopefully I'll dream one of those "what if she and I" dreams that you know dudes, really rock.
LOVE
ALEX

California, don't miss me too much...

Tired Eric writes:
It's 12:30, and I'm not done packing. My flight is at 7, which means me leaving my house at 4:30. At this point, it doesn't look like I'm getting much sleep. I'm flying to New York, where I'll hang out all night and then meet my parents + one sister at 4am Friday morning for a flight to Miami, on which I'll sleep. I'm trying to finish packing but I keep getting distracted. This isn't a new problem. I'm dawdling, working on my script/making rhymezone.com work for me/reading friends' blogs. I've got the Florida stuff packed. Now all I need to do is figure out what to bring to New York (where I'll be spending a few days post-Miami). E-Mags reports that there's sushi in Miami. Call me Mr. 1986 if you want, I don't care. I think sushi is great. Except when cream cheese, imitation crabmeat, too sweet a sauce (apologies sasabune (and michael spinks, to those in the know)), lousy fish, weird-consistency rice (try Trader Joe's sushi for an example of this) are involved. Los Angeles has wonderful sushi but let me just say, good to know that on vacation there's decent sushi to be had.
I'll have internet access in Miami, so I'll try to post to the blog a few times during my travels. Thanks to those who've listened to the mp3's. They were fun to make. I'll keep putting them here as I make them.
Just checked the weather in New York. Looks like I better bring a hat and gloves. Winter has overstayed it's welcome. The plan tomorrow night is to eat at Lombardi's (pizza) with Paul (P-Getz) and Martha, and then take it from there...
Alright, gotta pack, Eric

If you miss me during my absence, just imagine me, shirtless, training for Ninja Academy.


P.S. Neighbor Matt's Blog (listed on the right) pointed to this music video. It gets more and more entertaining as it goes on. It's no Star Wars Kid or the "numa numa" guy who just got the write-up in the New York times. Nontheless, thanks to Neighbor Matt for sharing "mazed and amazed" with me and the rest of his readers. Word on antville.org says this is the guy's website. Yes, I confess: I googled "mazed and amazed". Really, I should get to packing. Or maybe I'll just watch the music video one more time...

M.C. Nuggets - "Everything I Learned In High School Spanish" - dedicated to paco and gioconda, wherever they are...

So I took spanish in high school. And also college. I am horrible with languages. Here's the proof. - Eric


MP3 File

P.S. Big thanks to Martha for helping me come up with some of these rhymes way back in 2003.

P.P.S. MP3 of this song is with other songs at the right-side of this blog - listed under Nuggslikes.

P.P.P.S. I entered some of the text of the lyrics into babelfish and here's the translation that emerged: Girls in the street always look for to me, I say to them, is not my nino probablamente. Escuchame cattle, I have a problem, it is not false, he is not green, M.C. Nuggets, she is the hungry. They are bitten in all sides, the desperados ones and welded, I am austronauta in the freeway. I see smooth views, pistols, surfaces. It is time to dance in the library, Are mecanicos dancers robbing mayonnaise. Desire your love in many parts of my universe. My communista fiance forgetfulness that was Russian. I am swimming in the rios to fix the telefonos. I look for new weights to buy old kisses. Ayudame Ayudame, my monkey does not let suffer, nobody wants to see its monkey die. My monkey is my friend, my friend is my monkey. Death is safe, love is a bond. My bano is extrano, your breast is famous, In my cave, I breathe and have seen many things. Computers do not learn their leciones, I drink potions and escupo songs. I speak languages with my language, Is poison in your eyes. We are eskeletos and skin, the angel Gabriel, avejas make honey; My shade is not faithful. The moustaches jump of yesterday to manana, Even another evening in sauna. Single we are smoke of the pipe of a cockroach, Nachos, Cities, Fricion, All single ones are looks. Senor, Senorita, not as are its sex. I that your suit is single a piesa.

The Passion Recut

One late night at the editing suites last week, I met a grad student named Gregg who's a semester ahead of me. He's friends w/ one of my classmates---the most awesome Sourav "Showbiz" Roychoudhury (sp, probably)---and we got to talking and turns out he's a Christian. He invited me to his small group on Monday which was great b/c it's made up of other SC film students, one of whom is also my year, JHarrison. Anyway, the topic of "The Passion" came up and I automatically did on "oh, geez, not this again." Few of the members thought it was great but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to offend anyone quite yet given that it was the first time meeting them. They were great guys and made me feel pretty comfortable and I'll definitely go again, but what gives w/ some Christians who somehow seem to miss how anti-spiritual and theologically screwed up that film is? And now Mel wants to give us the "Recut" version? Crazy. If you're curious as to why I think that movie does more damage than good, let me know. The Passion Recut: as my friend PCiccone wrote in his email the other day, "This has to be the most ridiculous title ever..."

Sunday was a beautiful day. Cleaned like a hurricane. Later that night, Greg, Eric and I went to eat pupusas, which are El Salvadorian quesadillas essentially. Our friend Manny "discovered" this joint near K-town so we went. All I can say is that if you need to lose weight before your wedding, I highly recommend having some pupusas the night before.

Only three more days of editing hell to go!
LOVE
ALEX

From Here To Home To Hotel To Home To Here...

Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Eric.

Am tired but gonna go to the laundromat, so I can have clothes to wear tomorrow besides my always popular, Juicy brand sweatsuit. Also, so I have plenty of clothes to take with me on my trip. Trip? Yes, I'm leaving town on Thursday. Here's the plan:
Thursday - I get on a plane to New York. Dinner in New York with P-Getz and Martha. Pearl Oyster Bar? Lombardi's Pizza?
Friday - Head home to Connecticut.
Saturday - Join parents and a sister on a plane to Miami.
Someday (I think Thursday) - Return from Miami.
Friday - Hopefully friends in New York City will come out on the town for some good times.
Sunday - I fly back to Los Angeles

Excited to be getting out of Los Angeles for a few days. Even more excited to be seeing my east coast friends and family. I'm missing a couple concerts while I'm gone, including the Unicorns, but hopefully can join Alex and some other people for "The Court and Spark". Had spicy tofu with Alex for dinner at BCD on Wilshire.

Do you drink gross liquor?

If so, I'd forget buying an ipod and get one of these. Wondering what sorta people have these in their homes, Eric

P.S. Stayed up late last night, rapping into the computer. You'd have been proud.

Rock Paper Scissors? Definitely Rock.

Eric's equation: Last night = so much fun.

Fans of A-Ross rejoice. Jordan, Jason, Alex and I drove over to Spaceland to see OK GO rock the stage with their new guitarist, our friend/hero A-Ross. After J,J&A helped me with finding a parking place, we walked over to Spaceland. A-Ross was outside. Hellos, Hugs, and High-Fives were exchanged. We heard stories of adventures on the road. I decided to wear a Nuggets warmup jersey and a "You Got Served" baseball cap. I looked like a dorky derelict, which what I'm aiming for in all my wardrobe choices.

The show was great. I went in not knowing their songs, and came out, having really liked the catchy rock they brought forth. Lots of pretty girls ogling A-Ross throughout. There was a guy holding up his cell-phone, recording "get over it" while singing along at the top of his lungs. The band finished their set, and then came back onstage and began to dismantle the drum set and put away the guitars. The lead singer explained that they were done playing music for the night. Little did we know that OK GO was about to put on a dance machine that made a roomful of jaws drop in awe of the amazing display of choreographed giddiness. Found a movie file of the dance from an earlier show. Here’s a link, for the time being…

So, if you love either/or A-Ross, superfun rock n’ roll, or a dance routine that’ll inspire you to be a happier person, go see OK Go when they come to your neighborhood. Tour dates here:

After the show, we said our goodbyes/congratulations to A-Ross and headed back to whence we came. Jordan, intrigued by the wonder of our aerobed, spent the night at the famous little house on the hill (no, not matnat’s creepy cottage, we’re talking the alexeric ski lodge/crib.) I took a CD that Jordan had made me of instrumental tracks and loaded them onto the computer. Fresh music to sing words over. Nice. Thanks Jordan. I hope to impress you when I work some Nuggets/puppy mills magic over these tracks…

Meeting up with N-Luv at midnight. Excited to see his movie. Tomorrow, Greg K. and I are watching an entire season of "Pimp My Ride". Wish us luck, Eric

Criterion DVD for "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"

Yes, despite looking at my watch periodically during the course of this movie, I'm still on the Wes Anderson bandwagon, Eric

OK GO!

After a couple of long nights in a row spent tooling around in the Lucas Editing Suites, I'm gonna go do something fun tonight! Yahoo! Our good friend and sometime weight training partner ARoss will be performing tonight at Spaceland w/ OK GO. They've been on tour for a month and since he's been gone, my workouts at the gym have suffered tremendously and I've had nary a baseball talk which sucks cause the season's just around the corner and the Mets look rickety but good and hell I want to talk to someone about them! I'm real proud of Andy: get this, he's doing what he loves and getting paid for it! Don't know too many others who can claim the same. My whole "rock shows are boring" attitude is incrementally going the way of the dodo after seeing Antony & the Johnsons the other night, the Arcade Fire a few months ago, and now tonight with OK GO whose music I'm not familiar with at all but fuckin' A, homeboy's in the show! There will also be many young girls there which I am particularly looking forward to mostly b/c I've never seen teenage girls in heat, which is bound to happen b/c word on the street is that OK GO is huge in junior highs across the globe from Harvard Westlake in LA to the bangin' West-hatin' madrassas' in Saudi Arabia. Word. So if you're in LA go to the show! If you're in NYC they're coming into town next month!
In other news, I had an "I miss NYC moment" on Wednesday. The Dining Out section did a huge spread on the delivery/take-out phenomenon. That should be enough info.
LOVE
ALEX

Re-Post of "a world too bright" by puppy mills

-Eric




MP3 File

Re-post of "Ridiculous"

3 minutes of rhyme. Thanks to my ibook and the pre-packaged software for making this possible. - Eric


MP3 File

Re-post of "Big Girls" by M.C. Nuggets

There's no chorus recorded and the song isn't done, but it doesn't stop me from sharing it. - Eric


MP3 File

Re-Post of "burying hill" by puppy mills

Here's a whiny song, Eric


MP3 File

Thursday and I part ways... Plus, I hear an AMAZING song on the radio (gruff rhys)

'ric 'rites,
First off, gonna re-post some of the songs in an easier way for people to listen to... Sorry about this... Ignore the 3 or so posts that'll be above this... It's just gonna make things easier, I'm hoping...
Out late last night. Ran into N-Luv at Barney's Beanery which is not my kinda bar, despite getting to hang with amazing people while I was there. ((For those keeping score, my kinda bar is one which comes in a mini-bar in one's hotel room. (Yes, I do think I'll help myself to a tiny bottle of Grand Marnier and some old-tasting trail-mix. Thanks mini-bar. Just what I needed to put me to sleep / confuse my stomach))
Met up with a new friend, M, and some of her friends, all of whom were very nice. I made a lot of jokes, many of which were not so funny. M is going to help me out with finding music for "Paralegal" which is gonna need music once it's edited together. There was Karaoke. M worked some magic on Ms. Spears's "Toxic" which had people cheering.
It was then that I ran into N-Luv who was there with a tableful of people, who were all in let's-party-like-it's-New-Year's-Eve mode. Not wanting to take a taxi home and knowing I had a 9am interview today (which went really well, thanks for asking) I had a beer and enjoyed their revelry as a spectator. N-Luv tried to convince me at 1am to jump into a car and head to the 4 Seasons in Beverly Hills, but I was trying to wrap my night up, so took a rain check on taking the city by storm...
Went back to M and her friends. M said my big earlobes mean that I'll have good fortune for the rest of my life. And to think, all this time, I've been seeking advice on the future by breaking open cookies after dim sum.
I got home very late and woke up at 6, so I could drive to my interview early (I get places early most of the time) and miss traffic. Ended up in Beverly Hills by 7:15 for my 9am interview. I went to a coffeeshop and had a bagel and cream cheese. Then I walked around Rodeo Drive before any of the stores were open. Got to the interview and the woman was very nice. She's going to send me on interviews with actual companies next week, so I'm jazzed about that.

Driving home, I turned on the radio. At 10:17, KCRW played a song that I gathered might be from the solo album from the lead singer of the Super Furry Animals, that sounded like a chant not in english. But if it was in English, the lyric was "pull it back through". Anyway, I hope I find this song. It rocked. Favorite song I've heard in a long time... Gonna have to go to morning becomes eclectic website and see if I can figure this out... UPDATE: I FIGURED OUT THE SONG. It is off the Gruff Rhys album - Yr Atal Genheadlaeth. Nothing I like better than some fun Welsh Rock. I can't wait to buy this album or at least the song if it's on itunes. Here's a clip of the song... Gwn Mi Wn

-Eric

P.S. No joke. P-Diddy speaks the truth. The article's best quote from P. Diddy in regards to his making-a-band-upcoming-tv-show is: "“I don’t think no human being has been able to just figure out the woman. As complicated as I’m explaining it to you, that’s how it is. It’s a big undertaking to move 19 young ladies under one roof, and it sets the tone for some good TV ... having their monthly cycle coming together, and emotions and moodiness and competitiveness.” Um, I'd love to see the full transcript of the interview that yielded such insight into why the show that offers contestants a slight chance of fame can so easily devolve into Catfight, USA!!!

Raindrops? Again?

Eric says:
Yeah, a liitle rain in Los Angeles today. I had fish taco's at Wahoo's after the interview. They were not, I repeat not, the bees' knees. They were sugary sweet and not the great grilled tacos I was hoping for.
I had a job interview today; I have one tomorrow and one on Friday. The job on Friday sounds good, so I'm crossing my fingers that they hire me.
To make up for the short post, here's a song I wrote that I really like. Again, it's not M.C. Nuggets, but I hope you enjoy it.
A World Too Bright mp3

That's all for now, Eric

ROSALIND

Dudes I am in love with Rosalind or more accurately Rebecca Hall whom I believe is the most beautiful woman in the world or at least the most beautiful woman I've ever made fleeting eye contact with. Friday night I took GK to Peter Hall's production of As You Like It at the Ahmanson Theater which is located downtown at the Music Center---like Lincoln Center but newer---for his golden birthday. Great venue. After reading Ben Brantley's rave last year, I was expecting great things, especially from the much fawned over Rebecca Hall whom I believe is my age. She did not disappoint. Her Rosalind was a marvel of sorts in that among other things, I could identify w/ her immature, foolish delight in playing "the game," which anyone who's every really liked someone knows about. Were she not so lovely to watch and listen to, I don't think the play would've been all that great. Talent matters but in a play like As You Like It, beauty matters more. If you're in LA, go see the show but note that Rebecca Hall is all mine (she doesn't know it yet, but she will...somehow).

In other news, I've been crazy busy with school the past two weeks which helps explain my lack of posts. Last week was picture lock which was hellish. Last night, I was at the editing labs till 1:30 fucking up my sound mix. Get me near a computer and I'm bound to screw things up. So little time to do the little things! But today I'm gonna do jackshit so I can do the little things that need to get done. Like take out the trash. Like fix my bed. Like buy more tp b/c Bounty fucking sucks on the ass!

Love, Alex

Fact: Goats are easier to push.

Eric writes:

What the hell did I eat yesterday? My stomach hurts so much.
I actually know what I ate yesterday that has turned my stoach into the night sky on July 4th. Ouch! Someone help me. Here’s the exchange that has turned my morning into anguish:
Me: Hola.
Taco stand guy: Hola.
Me (after having used most of my Spanish in the salutation): Can I get a chicken burrito with avacado on it?
Taco Stand Guy: You want it spicy?
Me (ignoring the fact that last time I had something spicy here, my throat closed, my nose ran, and I cried): Yes, please.
Taco Stand Guy: 3 dollars.

I handed him the money. He thanked me when I put a dollar in the tip jar before the burrito got made. I think he made it even spicier than the usual “spicy” as a favor. I took the burrito to A-Scards’s house where she was having a late dinner. We sat down and I began to eat the burrito:

A-Scards: Is something wrong?
Eric: No, it’s just a little spicy.

I downplayed how spicy it was and ate it. If my tongue had a larynx of its own, it would definitely be asking me as soon as I took that first bite what the hell I was doing. Hanging with A-Scards was fun. We had that important conversation that good friends all must have at some point: the if-i-had-a-cheese-making-farm-what-kind-of-animals-would-i-raise talk. Yeah, I know, most people would choose cows. But I said, definitely goats, ‘cause cows are too big, and “goats are easier to push”. A-Scards said goats probably smell worse than cows, and cows are friendlier and nicer to look at. I agreed with her that naming a cow is probably easier than naming a goat. You can give cows all sorts of nice names, but with goats I’d give them serious non-jokey names: Jasper, Lucas, etc… If I had cows, I’d name them all after different beef products (considering they’re dairy cows and only used in the production of cheese at our no-slaughterhouse-here-dairy-farm I think this is okay). I mean, you can name a cow: Double Double or Mr. Hamburger… Yeah, it seems easier to give cows sillier names. After that important conversation, I bid A-Scards goodnight and headed to my car, where I sat and drank water to combat the spicy burrito painful aftermath.

Here I am, having written this, and the stomach feels a lot better. Thanks for listening, and healing me with your prayers. Your holographic love toy, Eric

P.S. Been listening to Kim Wilde's "Kids in America". It's a really fun song. I prefer it to the theme song to "Kids Incorporated".

Another round of Nuggets for the people who devote their internet-cafe-pay-for-web-access-in-15-minute-intervals-time to this blog? Listen in...

Eric reports:

Dad just called. Mom and Dad are going to Miami and invited me along. How great is that? Hopefully, it’ll work out with my schedule (as much as I want a job, if I’m still not employed as of next week, chances are I’m flying to Miami to hang with Mom and Dad, which would be great). 'Though hopefully I won't fall asleep (read: pass out from too many pina coladas) on the beach and get a terrible sunburn (which i managed to do in 2001 in puerto rico after winning 850 dollars in a slot machine. Yeah, my family is still entitled to make jokes about it. The nickel stuck up my nose on my 14th birthday is a story for another time...)

Dad reports he heard a foul-mouthed rapper today who he called to tell me about. If I can find any internet reference to this offensively talented lyricist, I will be sure to post a link. Anyway, nice of Dad to share with me.
Your best friend of all time, Eric

P.S. Speaking of sharing, just 'cause I want to earn your love, mp3 by mp3, here's a little lovin' for your eardrums... Just to keep your ipod fed: the rough version of M.C. Nuggets's "Do You Wanna Party With The Big Girls?"

Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good!

Friendly Eric reporting for Channel Omega News,

First off, new beck shirts available at: KUNG FU NATION.... These are shirts with images from "Guero", the upcoming album... Perhaps this is early merchandise for an upcoming tour?

More important, last night was karaoke night, thus the quote up above from the theme song to "Ghostbusters". More on karaoke night later... So I have two job interviews over the next two days... The number of interviews has picked up, which makes me feel almost as good as Ray Parker Jr. feels when he busts...

Last night, M-Lawrs was in a very very funny sketch comedy show, which left me feeling very inspired. Once I have a job and some money, I'm totally gonna take an improv class and an acting class. Alex guffawed over a Tom Cruise impersonation. So did I. 'Twas amazing. Afterwards, Abby a friend of ours / former co-crewmember on "Somewhere in India" was in town. Abby and Dana were visiting L.A. for Oscar celebrations so we took them for a drink at the Bigfoot Lodge. It being Monday, was karaoke night... None of us sang. I was tempted to sing two songs. The first: "Brandy" by Looking Glass is one of those songs I always loved in middle school, and my dad looked at me in disbelief when I told him what a great song it was/is. I know all the words. Really. Try me sometime. My life, my love and the lady is the sea. I hear you, Looking Glass. Alright, my 2nd choice was "N.I.B." by Black Sabbath. This was a song my high school band (Tito, Seesaw & The Executioner) covered and actually didn't suck at. For this song, I also know all the words. I started singing it at the booth we were seated at, and seeing everyone's reaction on their faces, I immediately stopped singing. There's a time for Sabbath and that obviously wasn't the time. (Freaks and Geeks has a great Black Sabbath / Jewish Sabbath joke but I can't remember it right now.)

Transferred all my old screenplays to the new computer. Now I have no excuse for not finishing "Sidekick" and "Looking for 88". Not even blog responsibilities are gonna stop me from finishing these scripts. Driving for a lunch today with J, I came up with a new hip-hop song to record. It's tentatively titled, "Royal Royal Crown Crown (Crunk in Connecticut!) and I'll be sure to post an mp3 as soon it's done.

P.S. Yes. Another song. Sadly, not funny M.C. Nuggets rhymes but instead whiny-me sounding like a weak voiced pale imitator of Daniel Johnston: They can't all be hip hop anthems by M.C. Nuggets...