METS IN 06

1B Delgado
2B ?? (NOT MATSUI!)
SS Reyes
3B Wright
LF Floyd
CF Beltran
RF Diaz
C ??

SP Martinez/Benson/Glavine/Trachsel/Zambrano
RP Wagner

Some risky offseason choices but they're looking good.
Will be back soon posting hardcore but for now, please enjoy my partner's shit.

LOVE
ALEX

Back From The Tri-State...

Brothers and Sisters,
Thanksgiving was great. I'm back in Los Angeles. Going to sleep. You and I will chat soon. - Eric

P.S. WWW.BECK.COM has been updated. Safari was crashing on it, but with Firefox or whatever other browser, you should be able to open it. Here's the incentive: 4 brand new Beck songs. Untitled Song 2 is worth checking out.

Palmdale: Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert!

Brothers and sisters,
I've just returned from XBox360: Zero Hour in Palmdale. Tommy the Clown from "Rize" was there with some Crump dancers, and that was the best part. In line to get an XBox, I started speaking with a guy who turned out to be Rob McKittrick, writer/director of Ryan Reynold's vehicle, "Waiting..." which I did not see in theaters, despite being a Ryan Reynold's fan. Anyway, he's a really nice guy and we got to have some fun industry gossip, where I gave him some compliments on his blog, which I enjoy reading from time to time (it details his experiences in trying to get that movie made).
The event took place in a giant airplane hangar. It felt like a trade show. Lots of people lounging around on beanbags, playing video games. Some free schwag (every person got a hooded sweatshirt, memory card, 3 months of online gaming), and Alex now has some xbox360 gear for his wardrobe (new hoodie, t-shirt, beanie, and keychain).
Mat and I went to a t-shirt store in Palmdale. I bought a shirt that says "Los Angeles : City of Angeles". I should've bought ten. It's fantastic.
I got interviewed by some guy with a video camera. Interview went like this:
Q : "Have you ever seen anything like this?"
Me: "No"
Q : "Is this bigger than Nintendo 64?"
Me: "Yeah, I guess"
Q: "Bigger than Atari?"
Me: "Yeah, maybe."
Q : "How huge is XBox 360?"
Me: "Pretty big. Lots of people here."
I wasn't trying to play it cool. I just didn't know what to say. I should've said something like, "This is totally like A.D. vs. B.C. We were in an age of chaos, and XBox360 has changed us, has shown us the way to salvation!" or "This is the most important day of my life!" but anyway, fun time. Thanks Microsoft for having me to your party!

Readers, I'll give a better rundown at a later post. Gotta pack my bags, so I can leave tomorrow for NYC!!!

- Eric

XBox 360: Zero Hour

It's Sunday. I'm sitting in my cubicle. Came into the office on a Sunday, so that I'd have some work done before I head up tomorrow to Palmdale for the Xbox event. The wristbands arrived in the mail. The party starts tonight at 7, but I won't be there 'til like 2 or 2:30 tomorrow...

Microsoft's official coverage of Zero Hour can be found here.

Alright, back to the paperwork. - Eric

Bonkers R Us...

Brothers and sisters,
It's been busy. Work's been good, just taking up most of my time&energy... So here's what's doing...

First off, my improv class ended. I had a show on Monday. Thanks to Alex, Kat, and MattyJ for coming to see me perform with the rest of my level 101 class at UCB. It was a fantastic group of people in the class and hopefully I'll get to cross paths with some of them again soon.

The wristbands came for the XBox360 event. It starts tomorrow night in an airplane hangar in Palmdale. Matty-J and I are heading up on Monday. I'll do my best to film and/or take photos of the event(s) and attendees.

We took a group photo of the people in my office at a party and I was in the center for no reason. I can't stop blinking/flinching during camera flashes. I have a feeling like these photos are gonna turn up terrible and um, I dunno... Nothing I can do... At least I was wearing a cool sweater my Mom got me for chanukah last year.

During my shower this morning, I (as I do from time to time to boost morale and whatnot) practiced my Oscar speech. Just in case I ever get nominated. First I should probably write and sell a screenplay before I practice an Oscar acceptance speech, right?

On Wednesday morning at 5am, I'll be landing in New York City. The cold will hit me hard. But I'll be strong and smiling. 'Cause I'll be home.

Alex and I saw Jacques Tati's "Playtime" in 70mm at the Aero in Santa Monica on Thursday night. I've seen the movie a few times (yes, even projected) before, and lemme just say, holy damn! I leave few movies as speechless as I am after that one. I hope to own a print of that in my permanent collection when I am old and wealthy, living in a gaudy crib, with a built-in movie theater. Tati really knows how to fill a frame. I Heart Hulot. Tati's presence on-screen reminded me a little of Harold Lloyd's early on in "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock".

S-Brahms is in town. We went CD Shopping. I bought "Muswell Hillbillies" (Kinks) and also a Guns N' Roses DVD (Welcome to the Videos). Both should be good.

That's all for now. - Eric

Roar Lion Roar! CUtunes.com...

Eric writes:
If you went to Columbia University and are a user of iTunes, please check out this website . It's a website that uses an applet to interface with your computer to find out information about the music you listen to...

The website says:
"CUtunes is a web-based application designed to provide information about the music-listening habits of the Columbia Community. Currently we offer the following services and features:

Top 40 songs, albums, and artists
Information about musical compatibility with other users
Recommendations for new music
The ability to browse through other users profiles
Current week and all time information"

In any case, my sister's friend, Blake, was one of the people who designed it and this will answer the all-important question, what does the Columbia Community rock out to when blasting music from their computers... I can't say it doesn't feel a wee invasive. I mean, I feel like I have guilty pleasures (Go-Go's, Neil Diamond, Noise Addict) but aside from Strafe's "Set It Off", David Banner's "Play", and many covers of "Ooh Child", it's not too embarassing to share...

Thanks, Eric

an old photo of jake and me. i'm the one eating a pabst.

brothers and sisters,
J4 sent this photo my way. It was a crazy night months ago. Now, months later, I'm grown-up and mature and don't try to scare photographers with my "I'm a monster that eats beercans!" pose...

Alex made brunch today for me, Kat, Schlebs, and Romarsh. Holy delicious! I bought cheese and cured meats. Alex prepared scrambled eggs and nova, sauteed greens, heirloom tomatoes in vinegar, and slices of crusty bread. Thanks Alex! Appreciated by me and my palate....

Last night there was a party underneath a Bridge in downtown. If you threw a frisbee at this party, it's a 90% chance it would hit a hipster. http://www.partyscammers.com/carnival2/ is the link. Schlebs, L-Kountz, Allison and Laurel were all there. I'm all for fun strange parties in unusual locations, but charging 4 bucks for Tecate seems a little high to me. Nontheless, one of the bands was very good, as was the conversation, as was the hipster-watching. I wish I'd actually looked at the link when Sarah sent it and realized I could've dressed up as a cowboy. I wore brown corduroy jacket and pants. And new sneakers. Alex was wearing his favorite getup of late; a circa-'93 look: high-tops, backwards baseball cap, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. He says the look is coming back. I am doubtful... Nontheless, if wearing plaid flannel is ever stylish again, I'm in luck!

- Eric

XBox and me...

So Microsoft had this contest where 3000 people are getting to go out into the desert for a super-secret launch party for the new XBox (XBox360). So anyway, I entered the contest which I saw on the msn.com page. I can't explain why... The dork in me felt compelled...

Cut to this morning and a mild hangover. I get an e-mail:
"Congratulations! You have been selected to attend Microsoft's Xbox 360: Zero Hour Launch Event. Your journey to Xbox 360 T starts here and we invite you to be the first generation of the next generation." So the big deal of the event is that you get to party for 30 hours in the desert. I plan on going on Sunday with a guest (probably Alex) to see what it's like, then drive back for some work on Monday. But then Monday afternoon, if I want to go back, I and a guest of my choosing are guaranteed purchase on an XBox360, the hottest toy for chanukah '05....

The link to some info...

Maybe I'll get to pitch my idea for a Microsoft video game, based around a pesky paperclip named "Clippy" who travels from office computer to office computer, destroying joy and defeating any 9-5 morale from cubicle to cubicle with such barbed attacks as "It looks like you're writing a letter."

I'm curious, and thusly am heading into the desert next Sunday to play video games in what looks to be a glowing green airplane hangar...

Dear Microsoft, Thanks for the invite. I've never been to a launch party for a video game console. This will be a first for me. Your friend in Los Feliz, Eric

Call off the search!

My missing sneaker was hiding in the closet. Hooray! Late for work on a Monday, Eric

This weekend...

Brothers and Sisters,
I have no idea what I'm up to this weekend. Breaking bread with Schlebs tonight. Then tomorrow, meeting up with J-Hath for a walk around Los Feliz.

Maradona is all over the news for doing something other than being an ex-soccer god with a penchant for booger sugar... Neat, eh? Except for the rioting. Boo Bush!

I lost a sneaker (New Balance), so I wore non-workout sneakers to the gym the other night. Maybe I looked a little weird. But not as weird as guys who wear blue jeans to the gym. That seems neither stylish nor comfortable. (An aside: I own no blue jeans at this time in my life. What a khaki-wearin' weirdo, eh?)

Final Cut Pro arrives today or Monday. As soon as I borrow/rent a dv deck I can load the footage onto my iMac and start cutting the paralegal movie together. I am jazzed. I've never even watched the footage. I'm hoping to edit something together good enough to get into some festivals.

Watched two dissimilar movies last night: "Flight of the Navigator" and "Tarnation". "Flight of the Navigator" for the first 40 minutes or so, is pretty interesting, where 8 years go by and the kid is suddenly in 1986, and the world around him has changed. It's when the kid gets on the spaceship that it becomes boring. I still don't understand if the spaceship is flown by a creature or a big-eyed robot that sounds a lot like Pee-Wee Herman as the film progresses. The kid risks death to travel back in time to 1978, the time he knows. "Tarnation" was not what I expected, and I don't get why so many reviews were glowing. A lot of sadness & suffering does not a great 90 minute video make. There was something off-putting/insincere about parts constructed to yield the greatest emotional response with the audience (even with this subject matter: Over the top, especially with the music). I'm probably wrong and everyone else is right. Interesting (but not always engaging) to see someone construct their family history from home movies/audio recordings. Mixed feelings on Tarnation. It is neat that you can just cut together video footage and make a movie that sums up your painful upbringing. (If only I'd had a camcorder in middle school!)

It's Friday Afternoon. About to run away from my cubicle to get caffeinated before diving into some work...

Have a good weekend, Eric

P.S. Alex left town for Nueva York. The house is mine. Everyone come over and wear your shoes upstairs! He'll never know! It's not like he reads the blog... right? Um... Uh, oh... Am I gonna get in trouble now?

P.P.S. L.A. is nice and warm. I can't believe it's November. Thanksgiving is only WEEKS AWAY! Dear Turkey, Eat you soon! Love, Eric

the weird dreams...

brothers and sisters,
my dreams get weirder and weirder.... last night i dreamt that as a katrina benefit, ringo and paul reunited and called themselves the beatles (yes, just the 2 of them on stage: drum & bass). paul thought it'd be funny if i came on stage for the first few songs and played bass... i explained that i don't play bass, so paul wrote me some instructions and then ran off. ringo gets upset about what a terrible Beatle i am. then, horror of horrors, i flip out and slap ringo around, telling him that i'm going on stage as paul, as a favor, not 'cause i want to. ringo and i hug, and then we go out on stage, and the song starts ("and your bird can sing"), and i still don't know how to play bass. paul shakes his head about my lack of musicianship, comes over, takes my bass guitar, and while playing the bass and singing, prods me off the stage with the bass. everyone cheers at me getting kicked offstage by paul. what does this dream mean? other than -> dear eric, you're a nice guy, but you're no paul mccartney. love, your dream

lots of celebrities in my dreams, as of late. last week, i dreamt that i went to see a dinner theater production of "the producers" with my grandparents. mel brooks comes out to sit with us after the show and my grandparents explain that mel is my cousin. mel brooks orders his handlers to get me a pizza from brooklyn. the handlers explain how expensive it'll be (30 dollars) and mel lashes out, "eric is my cousin and he wants pizza. get him a pizza! now!" mel turns back and gives me a big hug. he whistles to a waitress and tells her, "get this boy a diet coke". he treats me like a little kid and messes with my hair. he wants to know what we thought of the show and i can't remember anything about "the producers" so i just tell him it's the best show i've ever seen. he's so proud, he starts crying.

the weirdest dream of all, also involved a celebrity. i went to las vegas, where as part of a comedy show, a comedian threw hammers through windshields of supercars (McClaren F1's, Ferrari Enzos, etc.) Then Stephen Colbert gets up there and has the audience all duct tape hot dogs to their noses. With toothpicks, we connect baby carrots to the hot dogs. He then shows us our reflection in a giant mirror. We look RIDICULOUS! The applause is huge. He then tells a joke, "I was at the bus station once and I had to go, so I went..." We look down and the front of his pants are wet. Everyone I'm with laughs like this is the funniest joke ever... After the show, Colbert wants to meet me and talk me into being a comedian. I argue that I don't. Then Colbert starts telling all these horrible stories from my childhood (mostly middle school) and pointing out how funny they are.

anyone else have weird dreams lately? - eric

2 months pass, the boy remains whipless...

brothers and sisters,
i had my first car accident in los angeles back in august. today is the first day of november, and they're still working on my car. is it just me, or is this a little ridiculous? they say it should all be done by friday. this friday. i remain doubtful, eric

p.s. halloween party on saturday night at neighbor matt's was bonkers. photos to follow of your humble rapper/blogger dressed as ignatius reilly. go to sarah's blog (linked to on the right) if you need to see me in an outfit that one person guessed to be "a canadian pirate".

p.p.s. this past weekend, i played too many video games. i played a legend of zelda game past midnight on sunday. i can't say why...

p.p.p.s. i rented (netflixed?) "Roadie". I mean, I love Mr. Loaf unconditionally (he had me and Alex come see him at VH-1 storytellers (back in sophomore year of college aka 1998!), and was supercool...) but this is a strange movie. Meat plays Travis, a Texas boy who turns out to be the greatest Roadie of all time, and says absurd stuff when he gets hit on the head. The female lead, Kaki Hunter, of Porky's fame apparently, has weird looking teeth in this movie... There's a scene with Deborah Harry sitting down with Travis, while he drinks beer after being hit in the head, and there's something really sweet about her performance in that scene that sort of made the whole movie seem worth watching to me.