Beck does a so-so Nick...

If you go to www.beck.com, and just wait 15 seconds or so, music will emerge automatically from your computer. It's so-so covers of Nick Drake songs by Beck. Anyway, if you move your cursor to the upper-right of the beck.com mainpage, a jukebox of sorts will drop down and you can choose which to listen to. There are also some of the Guero remixes from Guerolito, a recent Beck release I haven't picked up... A beck release has been out for over 2 weeks and Eric hasn't bought it? Yep. Mind you, if there was a Midnite Vultures remix album, I'd be all about it...

The last few days, I have embarked on legendary adventures which will be passed down as great stories through the generations. Details to follow. Of the Saturday-Tuesday adventures:
I ran a stop sign.
Las Vegas Airport is not the happiest place on earth on Christmas Eve.
Chateau Marmont is a great place to party.
Solvang, CA is like a Danish theme park with zero rides, but plenty of tasty pancakes.
Santa Barbara is as beautiful as people describe it.
Wine can & will turn your teeth and lips purple.
Little dogs (the ones that go in purses),despite being smaller than most cats, still have an instinct to attack.
If you ever drive fake-boobed girls in their mid-30's home from Chateau Marmont back to their Brentwood digs, don't let them touch your stereo.
Chosun Galbee is so spicy, you just might blow your ass out.
Steve McQueen Exhibit at Petersen Car Museum can make grown men cry.
D-Frank & A-Rose are awesome wonderful people who live life as it's meant to be lived.
Dudes can drink champagne.
Nick Cave look-alikes aren't always as cool as Nick Cave.
Rod Stewart impersonators look just like Rod Stewart.
Canter's Deli is fun for a Chanukah meal... but Gefilte Fish should remain a Pesach only dish.
If you get home at 3am, the 5am drive to the airport comes so quickly, you feel stupid for that hour and a half of shut-eye.
"No thanks, I think I'll just have another glass of water" is a perfect way to respond to the most vulgar thing anyone has ever said to/offered you.
Grilled pregnant sardines don't delight all palates (namely mine).
When in the Las Vegas airport and you put 20 dollars in a slot machine and hit a 200 dollar jackpot on Christmas Eve (thus covering the cost of plane ticket and everything else), it doesn't mean that putting 20 dollars in a slot machine is ever a wise decision. Nontheless, twas awesome!

Anyway, Schlebs and I are heading out for dinner. Happy Chanukah!!! - Eric

HONG KONG

So I was sick last week and got better by Friday. That was nice. Sunday, I got sick again. From grandma this time. This blows. And Seoul is not funny right now. I just walked from the subway stop back to my grandparents' place. During the summer, it's a pleasant 15 minute jaunt. An hour ago, it was teeth-gritting, rigor mortis-inducing (in the exposed hands for the most part), testicle-turtling, ass-clenching hell. Dante was right (all you CCers know what I'm talking about). It's the wind more so than the actual below zero temperature. It whips and whips relentlessly. How miserable this nation looks! But...
I leave for Hong Kong tomorrow! Yes! Mild tropical warmth only a 3 hour flight away! I'll be in HK for 3 days. This trip couldn't come at a better time. You see, I love Korean food, but after a week and half of nonstop spicy, salty, preserved chow, my stomach has hoisted up the white flag. Two days ago, my belly twisted into a fat knot. So some delicious not spicy Cantonese food will hopefully loosen up my belly and get me back on schedule. Oh I love them Chinese's food! Some nice Cantonese soups and seafood not to mention dim sum on the Bay. Maybe get a kebab or two as well.

LOVE
ALEX

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HANUKAH

From South Korea with STINKING HOT LOVE.

LOVE
ALEX

the handsomest boy in Los Feliz, and his holiday plans

I'm not going home for Chanukah/Christmas this year...

This Saturday (12/24), my co-worker is driving to Vegas in the morning. I am tagging along for the ride. We'll hang a little in Vegas, and then I'm catching an 89 dollar midnight flight back to LAX, where I'll take the Super Shuttle back to my house. I'll put cookies and milk out for Santa and then go to sleep...

Sunday is Christmas. My high school friend, A-Rose (different than A-Ross) arrives at LAX at 10. I'll pick him up and we'll head off into the wilds of Los Angeles. He's staying 'til Wednesday. After he leaves, I'm going to work on editing "Paralegal" (aiming to have a rough cut done by January 1st). Mat will also come over and we'll work on Operation OE. All will be well.

So, that's all for now. Have a wonderful Christmas & a kick-ass Chanukah. I'll write you next week with all the info about A-Rose/E-Lane good times next week.

-Eric

PERM

I've been sick the past few days so I've been doing a lot of nothing at my grandparents' place. What I have been doing a lot of is channel surfing and after a full day of doing just that, I can say with full confidence that Korea is the land of awful perms. (btw, what the hell is "perm" short for anyway?)
I know a lot of whities are jealous of the fact that us yellows are blessed with straight hair. I don't really care. But, it seems like Korean-born Korean males are of the self-loathing sort. Almost every male celebrity, TV personality, athlete, etc., has a gnarly perm. It's absolutely ridiculous! They look like they've got a curly black helmet on. Some even look like they're sporting very very wet afros! I don't get it. I can't tell if it's an attempt at assimiliation (into what though?) or a passing fad. I hope it's a fad unlike the enormously popular cosmetic surgeries that young girls get to shape their jawline, to make their eyes less chinky, more anglo, and to raise the profile of their shnoze. Like it or not, that shit is here to stay.

LOVE
ALEX

FOODS CONSUMED THUS FAR

Braised pork belly dipped in teenie-weenie shrimp sauce; Q'ed pork belly; Grandma's sweet rice cakes with whole black beans dipped in clover honey; Grandma's effortlessly brilliant homecookin' (e.g. pressed flounder, marinated mountain greens, kimchi, stinky as all get-out bean soup, etc.); monkfish flesh and skin---very gummy---with bean sprouts smothered in incredibly hot sauce (the kind that's hot both ways: coming in/going out); spicy whole crab hot pot (same sort of spiciness: coming in/going out); one free Krispy Kreme doughnut (Korea's gonna get stupid fat eating all this shit: Bennigan's, McDs, now KK); brown soy milk (weird at first but you get used to the generally shitty color of it); soju (wow even in KO-rea does that stuff still SUCK); water. And some green tea and cofffee

There are a few more items on this list-of-foods-Alex-needs-to-eat that I hope to hit up in the next few weeks.

LOVE
ALEX

Facebook...

So as an alumnus of Columbia, I've joined Facebook. Is it the new Friendster? A less annoying Myspace? Time will tell, Eric

P.S. If all goes according to plan, my car will once again be mine tomorrow. Bringing a cashier's check to the body shop at 10am. Wishameluck.

Ko-rea

It's COLD up in this bitch. For real. December in LA is pretty sweet. December in Seoul is stupid. I'm jetlagged and my throat is sore after a clinician shoved a fat tube down my throat to see what's going on in my insides. Yeah, my pops recommended I visit the "KANGNAM BEST CLINIC" while I'm in Korea and get my shit checked out for real. He was a customer---I feel like that's a more accurate description than say patient---while he was here losing 1 stone the past two months. Little did I know that the visit would be the day after my arrival. It took up my whole morning as the clinicians and the physician who runs the show performed a battery of tests that lasted 3 hours. Koreans are very gadgety---my dad's cellphone here gets immaculate TV reception and the shitter's got crazy functionality---so the tests were highly automated. Height/weight/body mass/body fat were measured by this contraption that required me to step on and hold metal. Bone density was calculated by a computer that took some sort of reading from the foot bath my right foot got all wet in (wow that's a crappy sentence.). I also took a "stress test" which was a joke: they just clamped some alligator clips to my ankles and wrists and nuts, and best of all, told me to just close my eyes. Then I had a sonogram: not preggers. It was cool actually: the doc explained what I was looking at on the screen: indeed, the word "spleen" as I had assumed from prior visits to Korea does have more than one syllable. Then they injected some glucose into my vein, told me to nap for a bit, then woke me up, sprayed some wicked strong analgesic at the back of my throat, dosed me with some more anasthesia, and proceeded to shove said fat tube down my throat. That sucked but I was a bit dazed that it wasn't so bad. That was basically my morning.
I also had an afternoon but I'm too tired from the jetlag to continue.

LOVE
ALEX

The house is oh so quiet...

Brothers and Sisters,
Alex has left for his trip to South Korea. He's also planning on stopping in Hong Kong. Hopefully he'll report in on his adventures. Just me in the house for the next few weeks...
Looks like I'm staying in town between Christmas and New Year's. This will be very relaxing. I am jazzed. I hope to see lots of movies, work on "Paralegal", have some serious arts & crafts time, etc.
Paul came to town. We went to Kiriko sushi. I said "Omakase". It was my first time at Kiriko. Not my last. If you're into meals that'll amaze you, try this place. Our chef at Kiriko, Dice-K, brought his A Game. Come visit me people, and we'll eat at Kiriko!

SIGH

Hello! I'm back sorta from my 2 week plus hiatus from this blog. Back from post-production hell. The weeks following my short trip to NYC were brutal but I won't bore you with the details except to say that I now hold the following to be absolutely true: 1) sound editing is much cooler than picture editing; 2) sound mixing is much cooler than picture onlining; 3) Working on 4 hours of sleep is much more difficult at 26 than it was at 21; 4) I am indeed good at the things I say I'm good at if not moreso; 5) LA white linen tablecloth dining sucks. I'm spending this morning recovering from a massive 2-day headache (brought on by an intense 2 day sound mix) and another disappointing dinner at one of LA's supposedly finer establishments, Lucques. The portions were suburban, i.e. Cheese Cake Factory sized, and way too rich and blunt. And overpriced! It's definitely an LA thing to privilege quantity over finesse. LA's great for cheap Asian, Mexican, and fast food. But for the higher end experience, it doesn't make sense. Stick to the good shit in NYC. It's cheaper there too. Oh, when I was in NYC, I had lunch at Perry Street. Now THAT'S what you call great value white linen tablecloth cooking!
This weekend, we've got the screenings for all the films my classmates and I have been toiling through this semester. That should be entertaining. Also, got an old college friend coming into town to present a paper at CalTech on Monday. We're gonna watch some football and eat buffalo wings at Ye Rustic on Sunday.
Then on Tuesday, I leave for KO-rea! Expect posts Asia!

LOVE
ALEX

3 and a half months later AND 21,000 dollars later...

The body shop called. My car is "fixed". I've been driving a rental car since the end of August. It's been a long wait, but it finally looks like I'll be back in my station wagon, until I trade it in for something awesome like a Countach or a Jensen Interceptor. - Eric

on this day, a forgettable post.

The other night Alex and I watched the cringe-worthy short films I made in college. I will say, I'm a better filmmaker now. We also watched "Paralegal" footage. Jaeson-K did a great job! The footage looks very good. I hope to start editing this weekend...

On Tuesday night, I met up with a J-Andz, who appears in "Paralegal". We went to Little Tokyo and had a really nice slow dinner and the conversation was fun fun fun... Yesterday, I had two networking events. Not only did I get to meet people who are good to know for work stuff, I also got two free meals out of the deal. Sweet, right?

What else? Hmmm... Not much. Work is busy. 11 more workdays until Christmas/Chanukah weekend hits. No Secret Santas at my office, apparently... Hmmm, what should I buy my boss for Christmas? He likes tea, cars and books. I can't afford to buy him a car. If he doesn't get me anything, is it gonna be awkward if I buy him something? So many questions. You know what. I'll figure it out.

- Eric


P.S. Just so you're aware, I love the things you can buy at Archie McPhee...


P.P.S. If you NEED an XBox 360 by Christmas/Chanukah, maybe this'll prove helpful: http://xbox.clambert.org is a website that tracks xbox 360 availability at online retailers on a regular basis. However, you'll probably waste time re-loading the website all day, just to buy something you'll probably be able to find pretty easily on shelves come January.

Rocking the bimah in '91... Where is he now?

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. Closer to 40 than to 13? Yikes! Doing good for an old guy, Eric

P.S. Shout out to Temple Israel!

Monday or as I like to call it "December 5th: Return to the Cubicle!"

This weekend went very quickly. Friday night, I ate a burrito and went home and fell asleep. I woke up on Saturday. Went for brunch with Alex and Jason. Hit up the dry cleaners. Hit up the bank. Then Alex and I did laundry at a laundromat. We walked to Trader Joe's while the clothes dried. Alex made enormous turkey burgers for lunch. I watched part of a movie on dvd, and the afternoon disappeared. Then Alex, Kat and I met up with Hil for dinner in Venice with Kat's friend Christina and her friend who's name I can't remember for the life of me. A-Scards was somewhere in Beverly Hills, but I couldn't find the hotel where the party was at. (What business do I have at a hip party in Beverly Hills anyway). Saw Hil's new place. Alex picked me up and we headed home. I fell asleep.
Sunday, I met up with J Matty J. Handed over a CD-Rom for software that will allow us to collaborate on a writing project that is lacking in plot at the moment, but filled to the brim with moxie! It's a sitcom unlike any you've ever seen! Unless you've seen Anti-Alf, where an introverted astronaut crash lands on the planet Melmack, and becomes an annoying, catch-phrase spouting fixture in the Shumway residence (they have a spare room) for a few seasons, before the show is fortunately canceled, to the delight of many, including cats everywhere. I reach for the delete key so Anti-Alf can disappear, but alas, I'm moving forward in this post...
Went to work for 5 hours yesterday. Met up A-Scards for dinner at Chi Dynasty. Sandra Oh was there. It was a succesful dinner; mostly because I made it through without spilling any food on my shirt. I drove A-Scards home and then met up with BJ to borrow his DV camera which is going to serve as a deck for me to load rough footage into Final Cut Pro. Which will, in the next couple of months, turn into the vaguely-autobiographical "Paralegal", the follow up to my successful quasi-autobiographical short films, "Uncertain Ivy League Graduate" and "Bored Temp". The hopefully-non-autobiographical hit sequel to "Paralegal" hasn't yet been scripted, but some possible titles: "Considering Graduate School", "Mid-20's Crisis", and "Following Your Dream (Until Reality Hits)".
Woke up this morning and the seemingly insulationless majestic estate Alex and I call home was FREEZING! We have heating in our house, but there are only 2 settings: OFF or SAUNA. Do I buy a small space heater for my room? I'm considering it, and putting it on a small table so it's not on the carpet directly. Hmmm...
Lunch is over! Back to work, Eric

P.S. I'm probably in L.A. Christmas through New Year's. Anyone around? I might go on a spiritual journey into the desert (READ: LAS VEGAS).

P.P.S. I know it's old news, but "311, I am ready to fight" is awesome, awesome, awesome. Oh, and yes, hilarious.

Paul, the Walrus...

Brothers and Sisters,
Last night J Matty J had an extra ticket for Paul McCartney at the Staples Center. Paul puts on a long show. Like over two and a half hours. Everytime he finished a song, there'd be massive applause and he'd hold his arms up, looking like he was about to leave the stage.


Some songs played:

Maybe I'm Amazed
Live and Let Die
Jet
Band On The Run
Yesterday
Hey Jude
Get Back
Helter Skelter
Please Please Me
Let It Be
I've Got a Feeling
St. Pepper's
Carry That Weight
Eleanor Rigby
For No One
Penny Lane
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Blackbird
Back In The USSR
I Will
I'll Follow The Sun
Good Day Sunshine
The Long and Winding Road
Magical Mystery Tour
I'll Get You
Drive My Car
Till There Was You
Fixing a Hole
and he finished it with "The End".

This isn't the full setlist, but gives you an idea of why my mind was blown. Was the band cheesy? Yes! Was it sorta what you'd expect a Paul McCartney Las Vegas show to be? Yes! Nontheless, Paul McCartney still rocks.

Paul McCartney is a beacon of sincerity.
Paul McCartney is a goofball.
Paul McCartney is magnificent.

I planned to write a full review, but I feel unable to describe how glorious, magnificent, inspiring a show this was. Not much to say, except one of those concerts I'll always remember. It was very very very good evening filled to the brim with many of the best rock songs ever being performed by their creator. (Yes, I'll be on a Beatles kick for the next year 'cause of this night) All for now, Eric