RAW EGG

Last night, I cooked a little late night dinner for Eric and Matt. My mom would've but she was asleep. It was a simple dish: penne, peas, sundried tomatoes, chunks of parmesan reggiano, and a lot of turkey green chili sausage. I love how the peas get inside the penne. Anyway, I threw all the ingredients into a pot and stirred but I needed something to bind them. I usually go w/ some butter and grated cheese but I thought what the hell, I'll just throw in a RAW EGG and see what happens. I also thought the pot and the ingredients were still hot enough to cook the EGG, just to be on the safe side. So I crack a RAW EGG into the pot and stir hoping to get the EGG---at least the white part b/c raw white is gross--- cooked but as I stirred and stirred the EGG didn't so much cook as it did lose its elasticity and sort of disappear. Uh-Oh. The EGG did its job: the ingredients binded beautifully. But when I told Matt and Eric what I used to bind the ingredients, Matt freaked a little while Eric gave me a priceless "you've got to be kidding me, asshole" look. We all finished the meal anyway and it was good.

Smog Cutter was a ton of fun. Apologies to those who played pool: I didn't mean to rest my balls on the table every opportunity I had, just every once and a while.

LOVE
ALEX

Smog Cuttin', Dumpling Devourin', Silly Singin' & More!!!

Eric writes:

Dear Diary,
Yesterday was Alex's birthday. A-Ross, M-Lawrs, J-Man, Neighbor Mat, Alex and I headed for a pre-fiesta dinner that involved noodles, dumpings, crispy bird, various sauces and a dessert on fire. Then stage 2: Karaoke at the Smog Cutter. I decided to be the first karaoke singer. Being designated driver and whatnot, I was cowardly and couldn't even sing my song. What I could sing came out horrible. Luckily the bar was empty. Next time, I'm getting some drinks and someone else is being the safe driver, 'cause maybe if I was brave, I could rock the stage. Neighbor Matt is a gifted karaoke performer. When I say that, I mean, he is an ass-shakin' tornado of song and bravado. Classmates of Alex's showed up en masse. Lotsa fun. Some dude we didn't know showed up and sang the shittiest songs ever. It was kinda amusing; by kinda, i mean not at all. terrible soft 70's pop tunes that nobody should have to hear more than one of in a day. I got tired and headed home around 1, even 'though the party was still jumping. Hopefully Alex got a ride, and if not, hopefully he's still at the Smog Cutter and the festivities are going strong, 18 hours later... -Eric

P.S. My current temp job is on a studio lot. Two thumbs up. Enjoying myself in movieland immensely. Have not told people at the office yet that I'm a rap superstar in some (admittedly small) circles. This is probably a wise course of action.

AHHHH

It's so nice not having classes!
Tonight a few friends and I are meeting up at the SMOG CUTTER which is by far the best bar in the neighborhood and is featured in the opening montage credits of "Barfly" which sort of gives you a sense of the kind of joint it is.
BOMBS AWAY!

LOVE
ALEX

MOM

My mom's in town for a week. I am going to eat so well. As is Eric. She's a cooking and cleaning whirlwind.

Update on the car: 3800 dollars in damages. L___ has only 1000. I think I might just have to work out some sort of longterm payment schedule or just use my tax return to pay for a good chunk of the difference. Any advice would be welcome.

Also, my film's playing this Saturday at the DGA here in LA. 7:30pm Theater 2. If you're in town, check it out.

LOVE
ALEX

Rocking the Pesach! Holding Afikomen for Ransom!

Eric writes:
Greetings from my hometown. Been in Connecticut for a couple of days. A superb trip. Full report to come. Heading off now for a few hours of reckless adventure in Manhattan, and then back to L.A.- Eric

P.S. Funniest moment of the weekend was my sister, L, telling me about her 8th grade Spanish class, where they frequently show videos. (Me, I think videos and field trips are usually wastes of time; then again, most of my best memories of school are of field trips and making fun of the videos in health class). L told me that they showed a video about workers in Mexico who kill sea turtles (you see one get shot in the head) and then cut out the insides of the shell, before turning the turtle shells into tables. I can't imagine a classroom full of kids watching this. Bet they're all emotinally scarred now and will never be able to sit down and enjoy a seaturtleburger. (Has anyone ever seen one of these tables?)

Mistletoe on the Moon!

Eric writes:
This is the first "song" I made with apple's GarageBand software back in February when I got my ibook. Just wanted to share something as I'm too lazy at the moment to write a full blog post...


MP3 File

P.S. Alex and I attended Shleb's party last night. Lots of laughter (and beer) in Pasadena at Casa de Libs. R2C2 in full effect! J-Innes, the cowboy gentleman, was also present. Alex was hungry for ice cream, but there was none to be found. Somehow, the need for ice cream turned into a request for hot tea. Gathered around the kitchen table, we all participated in a tournament of delightfully immature banter. Driving home, I found myself thinking of what type of coat I want when autumn rolls around. Leaning towards corduroy, Eric

P.P.S. Last night, there was talk about all sorts of gross insects. Since moving to L.A., I've encountered bugs that look like something out of the Madagascar articles I read as a kid. NYC might have a lot of cockroaches, but L.A. has the market on ants, moths, and all types of other bugs cornered. Now that it's warm, bugs have started to make their way into our house. There's a red bug with a spiky tail that comes out of the drain sometimes in my shower. Hilarious, right? I'm buying heavy duty spray. Today.

Big Poping - P.O.P.E.

Eric writes:
New Pope. Same as the old pope.
Not really, but you know what I'm saying.
Big post to come one day. Had dinner with the hilarious & awesome J Matty J.
And his name is, Eric

P.S. Monday's post:
What a weekend. Friday night was poker night. I drank too much which resulted in me winning money, whilst wearing a big army hat and a pink scarf. Great group of friends came over. C-Marsh is a funny storyteller, the kind who can get you to erupt with laughter, milk shooting out of your nose kinda laughter... J4 and S-Brahms and A-Scards and T-Sags and Neighbor Mat, all in the same room as well? You betcha'. It was fun fun fun. Alex also played a couple hands.

Saturday, I woke up, helped Neighbor Mat pick up his new dresser. I can't recall most of the day. I went to the gym and worked out. I watched Disc 3 of Wonderfalls. Wonderfalls is a strange show. There's something I like about it but the editing (lots of things sped up with silly sound to reiterate the speeding-up of time) was irksome. I felt like some moments were played for honest emotion but other times, they made actors overact to try and make things funny. Over the top in a really off-putting way. But as the series goes on, they let the characters have some emotional room to breathe, which was nice... I'd heard really great things about the show and found myself slightly disappointed despite liking the actors, the stories, some of the dialogue, etc. The style/tone just felt really off at times in a way that was an attempt at quirky which just came across as unbelievable.

Sunday, I woke up, watched 800 Bullets by Alex De La Iglesia. It's not a great film but some tremendous acting, and great moments between adults and a child, reminiscent of Beat Takeshi's Kikujiro (sp?). Having only seen one Alex De Iglesia film before (Day of the Beast, which is pretty funny and very nuts), I didn't know what the film was gonna be. Gets slow for the last 25 minutes, but the rest had me smiling and letting out little yelps of joy. Then I wrote most of the day.

Sunday Night, Alex's classmate, C, was having a birthday party at Brass Monkey (which happens to be a good Beastie Boys song, and a not-so-good drink). It's a karaoke joint in Koreatown. I was about to sign up to do "Ring of Fire", when C begged me to instead find a song to rap over. I decided to rap over a Dr. Dre song. I rapped too quickly and was out of breath for a lot of it, but when all was said and done, the smoke cleared and I got big applause from a roomful of strangers (and Alex's classmates). This felt really great. Fed my appetite for attention. Then there was a weird conversation that won't go here, as it's perfect for my memoirs.

ACCIDENT

After about 9 months in LA, I finally got into my first car accident this evening. One more thing to cross off the board before I get bored w/ this town. Here's the story.

I met w/ my SC Christian Mafia at JHarrison's place from 5-6:30. A great group of guys that gathers weekly to shoot the shit and get all up in agape which I guess makes it a men's group which I guess makes it official: I'm getting old. In any case, we end each get-together w/ prayer requests. I had a few but for the most part, I had only thanks to give. Sure, the shoot was tough-going on Sunday, but overall, things are pretty good. I have great friends in fact the ones I've made at SC I'm beginning to love like those back home. My family and I couldn't be on sounder footing. I'm not mired in debt. SWIM TEST continues to play festivals. No new nightmares. I just got a distribution deal. No real worries. Things are going my way for the most part. Lots to be thankful for.

The meeting ends and I get in my car and start my drive back home. I'm driving down Washington listening to the radio and just like enjoying shit. As I approach Vermont, I see a red Celica peek its nose out of the parking lot of a strip mall on the right side of the street. I don't think anything of it b/c I've got the green and there's no way the Celica's gonna turn into oncoming traffic. WRONG. The Celica accelerates out of the strip mall lot and smacks right into the back right tire of my vehicle causing it to fishtail into the next lane. I lose control of my car for a moment but I manage to steer it back into my lane. I break hard but amazingly somehow I think to look in the rearview mirror. I look and I see that there's another vehicle right behind me so I release my foot off the brake and actually give some gas so as to not get rear-ended. I drive right up to the intersection and gently brake to a halt. The light's still green and I'm shocked and relieved that I didn't crash into any other vehicles. I see that the Celica's pulled over on the other side of the street. I turn around and park behind him. I'm fine. I'm not angry. I actually laugh when I realize what just took place in the context of what came out of mouth only minutes before at bible study.

The driver of the other car is not hurt. Nor his wife. Nor his young daughter. Nor his 6 month old baby. Thank God. I shake the man's hand---it is hard w/ calluses--- and begin procedures. He admits fault. I ask for his license and insurance information. Turns out he doesn't have a driver's license. Nor insurance. Nor does the car belong to him but to his cousin. Hmmm. He's a decent man w/ a wife and young children. He tells me he works hard to support them and doesn't have lots of money. He tells me he is fucked. He is awfully kind and the last thing I want to do is get him in any sort of trouble w/ the law. I'm in a bind. I can't call the cops b/c that would ruin him. But I need to get my car fixed b/c it is fucked up. We stand on the sidewalk for 20 minutes trying to figure out a solution that works for the both of us. I meet his wife and children. They don't speak English. The little one is beautiful.

He offers to pay for the repairs in cash. And for some reason, I believe him. Foolish or not, I trust this guy. I believe he is a good person and will make things right. I call my dad for some advice and I tell him that I think this man's an illegal immigrant w/ a young family and that I don't want to ruin him. He understands and tells me that I should get all his information and get him to sign a makeshift agreement letter. I take down his cell and home numbers. I take down the license plate number. I take down his name L_____ L____-S_______ and address off his Mexican ID card. He goes across the street and buys a disposable camera and takes pictures of the damage. I know why he did that but I keep my mouth shut. I trust this total stranger to recoup the cost of what will not be cheap repairs. I check over his information. I ask if the address is current. He tells me that the address is old and that he lives somewhere else. I tell him to take me to his home.

I follow him to his home. It is small. I take down the correct address. He invites me inside for a glass of water. I decline. I tell him I'll call him in the morning w/ an estimate. We shake hands. He tells me again how fucked he is. I think for a brief moment to just let it go, but the damages are too severe. I drive home.

So that's pretty much what happened tonight. On the drive back home, I felt so guilty. Here's a man w/ a young family. A man who's trying to do good by them. A man w/ real responsibility. A man who got into an accident that will fuck him financially meaning that he'll have to work more and his children will have to enjoy less b/c of it. A man my age. And here I am, a child of privilege who drives a nice car, eats at nice restaurants, and attends school to do what, make fucking movies? . I honestly thank God for this accident b/c it woke me up and made me realize that I take much too much for granted and that as much as I'd like to think otherwise, I am not a man.

LOVE
ALEX

Big Temping, T.E.M.P.

I temped Monday thru Wednesday... Might be temping today...

All's well. Finished another draft of the pilot which we (me and DM, my writing partner on this) registered with WGA, and are submitting to the Scriptapalooza TV writing contest. Felt good to register it and call it ours. Last night, in the process of doing all this stuff, Dan showed me a really neat Mac OSX feature. If you want to save something, anything really, as a pdf, you just go to print, and in the window there's an option to print the doc. as a pdf. So then you have a pdf of your file. Can't believe I didn't know this. All my worries in life are now seemingly gone because of this great feature.

There was an e-mail to Beck's mailing list for this secret concert that's going on tonight in NYC. Unfortunately, websites/blogs put up the info immediately so some of the superdork beckfanatics in NYC couldn't get tickets yesterday. To make it up for the fans who didn't get tickets, Truck, who runs beck.com put up a contest with 3 pretty difficult Beck questions; and he's giving away 3 pairs of tickets. When I say "pretty difficult", I mean for people like me, who know their Beck trivia pretty well. (And yes, I know the answers to all 3 questions. Color me dork). I thought this was really nice of Truck. Beck's on SNL tomorrow night.

Messed up my travel plans for seders next weekend in New York, so need to fix those this weekend.

Going on a huge hike tomorrow. Playing poker tonight. Oh, embarrassing moment at the gym this week. I'm lifting weights while listening to my ipod shuffle. Just as I finish a set, the chorus kicks in. I, proud of my accomplishment and relishing in the kismet of the chorus coming strong just as I finish, launch into song. People turn their heads to look and listen as I full-blast sing "Oooh Heaven is a place on earth". Now, I'm not making any apologies for my music on my ipod. But yeah, Belinda Carlisle and The Bangles are both represented multiple times.

H&R Block still isn't done with my NYC return, but hopefully today or else Bloomberg will come and get me and put me in the concrete used to make his misconceived westside stadium.

Happy Friday, Eric

Bring It On

The next few weeks are gonna be hell. Lots of editing and adjusting and screaming to do.
Tomorrow my good buddy GK is leaving LA. I'll miss him and all the mandates we've been on the past three months. About mandates, I was pretty pissed to read that the Sunday Styles fuckers had coined what I thought was just regular guy behavior but now that it's got a name, I don't think I'll be hanging out with guy friends anymore.
LOVE
ALEX

Spring Cleaning: The Song

Eric writes: After a long week, it was nice to relax this morning and just put a bunch of old rhymes onto a simple beat. It's not as much a song as much as it's spring cleaning, thus the title. It's over 8 minutes of M.C. Nuggets unused rhymes...


MP3 File

p.s. continuing to add these to the list on the right (nuggslikes) as i put them up here...

My favorite iteration of Menudo:

Eric writes:
Went out last night with A-Scards. She took me to a concert to see Ray LaMontagne at The Avalon in Hollywood, which it turns out is a very nice venue to see live music, provided you stay away from the noisy bar area(s). Ray, the story goes, is a former factory worker who decided he wanted to make music. It's a good story. The audience loved him, but there was something that struck me as off about the performance. I'm not sure what it was. You know, I liked how he sang, I liked his musical accompaniment (drummer, upright bassist, 4 violinists and a cellist). His voice sounded like Joe Cocker's, and the songs were good but didn't really seem like anything new to me, and the lyrics came across, at times, as somewhat trite. That's not to say some of these songs have their moments, but watching someone try to rock out on acoustic guitar that hard reminds me why I have Dave Matthews issues. I liked the first five songs, but then got bored, and then antsy. For me, The music was like decent background music you'd hear at a Starbucks. Which doesn't mean it's bad. 'Cause it isn't. Just not particularly exciting for me. "Hannah" and "Hold You In My Arms" were the 2 songs I liked most.
Walking to the concert, Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot came up in conversation between me and Ms. Scards. I posited that film dorks are either Bardot guys or Deneuve guys. I then theorized that during a lifetime most film dorks are into Bardot, then into Deneuve until their mid-60's, at which point, they're all about Bardot again. Riddle of the Sphinx kinda stuff, if you get me. Putting that aside, I'm more into Kim Novak than either of them, even 'though she's kinda butch. I dare you to watch "Kiss Me Stupid" and not fall in love. (If only Peter Sellers had not dropped out of that movie, it would've been a masterpiece.) And of course, Bresson casts beauties in his painfully austere masterworks. (Yes, I'm counting down the days until Au Hasard Balthazar comes out on Criterion DVD. It's only a couple of months away. Please put the dork stamp right on my forehead.)
Last night, I had the uncanny ability to sing like Bruce Springsteen. A-Scards can testify. It was eerily cool. I woke up with a sore throat and unfortunately unable to repeat the Boss-emulation. What happened? I hope it comes back, just so I can change the answering machine message. "Hi, this is Bruce. Alex and Eric aren't here. Do what the Boss tells you and leave a message."
Nothing else to report. Temping next week, so that'll be good. Had an interview yesterday which went well, so that's good. What else is good? Oh, the weather is good. My new haircut is good. (Picture coming soon!)
One more thing... The other night (Wednesday), Matt, Alex and I drove by the Star Wars line outside the Chinese theater. While hilarious, also a tad depressing. They had computers and sleeping bags. And yes, two of them were engaged in a lightsaber duel (both green, Jedi practice I guess).
I lied. No Menudo talk... Gotta run, Eric

1964

Worst start by the Mets in over 40 years. Whatever, we're gonna win the World Series anyway.
To celebrate the first week of the 05 season, I plan on seeing Fever Pitch Saturday night w/ some college friends. I can't think of any other filmmaker(s) who make better romantic comedies than the Farrelly Brothers: they're true auteurs. If you got any interest, hollaatchaboy.

LOVE
ALEX

Delicious

Eric writes:

Today, Los Angeles was what my grandfather describes as "Delicious". What incredible weather. It was summertime sunshine, and I enjoyed it to its fullest. Paid the rent, which is never enjoyable. But seeing one of the landlords was enjoyable. Landlord B. is always fun to talk to. Went to the gym, and had a massive workout. Drank a smoothie and came home. One the drive home it struck me, the weather today is amazing. I took a shower, put on the shorts and t-shirt, and hung out on the deck. I have a job interview tomorrow so fingers crossed, and it looks like I'm going to start temping next week, which will help make me less close to broke. Alex cooked dinner for me tonight. Pasta and fish. Like the weather, the dinner was delicious. All for now, Eric


I'm sure I linked to these ipod cases before, but these look great!

Boys of Summer

This summer, Eric and I will attending more baseball games than you could ever possibly imagine. Right now, I'd say it's 85 degrees and sunny out right now. The birds are chirping and I'm wearing sunglasses indoors. Yes.

The Mets got off to a rocky start despite Pedro's great performance. Tonight, we have Tom Glavine going for us. He will win.

LOVE
ALEX

the gone 'til november remix....

Eric writes:

Gothamist has a nice interview with a high school classmate of mine who started a magazine: interview here. It's wonderful to know I've still got friends engaged in exciting and creative pursuits. (Not to hold anything against the big-time moneymakin' friends of mine; don't worry moneymakers, I'm proud of you too, especially knowing that i've got friends I can call on that inevitable day I need someone to put up my bail money...)

Last night in the gym, I listened to the "Gone 'Til November" remix. R-Kelly, Wyclef and Canibus tear shit up in a really entertaining albeit bewildering way. Canibus's best piece of rapping on the track? My opinion: "By the middle of March, when the pregnancy starts in my lady's placenta, I'll be gone 'til november!" Why does this entertain me so much? 'Cause he rhymes placenta and November, somehow. There's also a Karma Chameleon shout-out to enjoy. Anyway, if you can track down this remix, I suggest it. I think it's from Fall '97 and came on the "Gone 'Til November" single. Here's a link for the curious: Gone 'Til November - remix

Last night, Alex and I joined Neighbors Nat and Matt for a fun dinner at an Indian restaurant where I ordered too much bread.
Recording a new M.C. Nuggets song "Spring Cleaning" where I dump a bunch of old rhymes that need a home. It's sorta funny but pretty bland for some reason. That's all for now, Eric

p.s. i pretty much hated l.a. when i moved here. like it a lot now. warm weather, great concerts, and celebrity run-in's all make for good times. Alex's classmate loaned me some tracks, one of which I talk-sung over. Here's the non-amazing non-m.c. nuggets results: puppy mills - "fake id" (i'm well aware these mp3s are super low-res... trying to find a way to host them in a higher bit-rate format. any suggestions?)


MP3 File

Rock Me Amadeus

eric writes:

What a great weekend. Friday night poker. I brought in Banh Mi Sandwiches. Note to self: Stick to regular food next time so people who don't want to eat strange sandwiches don't go hungry. Luckily I had stocked up with Trader Joe's food so everyone survived poker night. Neighbor Matt played aggressively and emerged the victor. Saturday, I worked out. That night I went out with A-Scards for dinner and a party. Both were fun. Sunday, A-Scards, T-Sags, and I went to the beach and ate sandwiches at Bay Cities in Santa Monica. I'm partial to NYC in many ways, but let me just say, Bay Cities makes terrific sandwiches. Got home, did some writing. Then Alex and I went to dinner. The streets of Thai Town were closed off for some sort of event that must've transpired earlier in the day. We went to Palms and again, ordered our food too spicy. Thai Elvis was there. He was great, and the guy who followed him also great. He sang soft 70's pop songs (think A.M. Gold Time Life commercials) in a nicely broken English. "Country Roads" was my fav of his. Post-Thai Food/Concert, Alex and I hit the Arclight and saw "Sin City" in the dome. The Mickey Rourke section was excellent as was everything with Benicio Del Toro. Lots of terrible acting from the girls cast as eye candy. It's a very good adaptation of a comic book I'm not particularly crazy about. Lots of gravelly-voiced dudes in the movie. Certainly much better than "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" which was unwatchable at points.

And now it's Monday. Joined the 2 J-Hart siblings and Spragooey for lunch. Drove around for a couple of hours with J3, showing him some pretty L.A. traffic. Really great to see an old friend. All for now, Eric

P.S. Best Jay-Z/Nena mash-up of the day is at jay-zeezer.com : 99 Luft Problems

P.P.S. Every conceivable way to order at In-N-Out: DailyNugget.com's list of ways to order a burger.

Arbus & Demand

Friday was pretty much one of the best days I've had in some time. I arrived @ 6:30 AM and took a nap and then in the afternoon, walked through Central Park and checked out the Met (call me a sucker but that was the first time I've actually paid more than a buck to enter!), MOMA, Bergdorfs, and Barneys (I had time to kill) before meeting up with my family at BLT STEAK (don't go: overrated big time). It was grey and chilly out but that didn't bother me at all: it wasn't much different from the weather in LA the past few weeks or so (though it's gotten better of late). Even though I was by myself, I never felt alone.
The Arbus show at the Met was comprehensive though the recreated studio and library shelves were silly in a very caveman diorama-y kind of way. Arbus is sort of brilliant at making you feel both contempt and love toward those weirdos in her pictures. It's not pornographic in the way that pictures of homeless folk are, but there's something Coen Brothers-y about her interest in freaks. The trust and intimacy she shared with her often abject subjects is pretty rare: she would've made an amazing filmmaker.
The Thomas Demand show at the MOMA was good too, but maybe a few years too late. The line to get in was way long, but admission was free and the teenage girls behind me had foul mouths so it wasn't without its perks. The pictures were beautiful but I didn't care much for what he was saying with them (pictures qua constructed reality viz. photos qua analogue of the real world). It's so German and G. Richter's examined the same concern w/ greater clarity in his paintings but like I said Demand's photographs were beautiful. He'd be an amazing dp/production designer.
Friday night was spent with friends at Pravda. I'm such a sucker for K. McNally's joints. I didn't see too much Eurotrash: thank god for the Meatpacking District! Oh, check out CRUISING to see what the Meatpacking District was like in the 80s. VERY DIFFERENT.
Saturday's draft went well though I don't have a single Met on my team like I planned to. Maybe this is for the better. Talking baseball w/ 11 dudes in a conference room for 5 hours: little else is better than that on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

The sprint back to the East Coast was just what I needed though having mom and dad tell me I had to get married before 30 could've been funnier.

LOVE
ALEX