Let the world be on notice... My sister is a cool cat!

are you happy now?

The Aftermath: Part 3

It truly is humbling to have the security of a good job dissipate unexpectedly. You begin to question your drive and abilities. Insecurities run rampant, sending a mind that was previously efficient and productive into a dense forrest, where clarity is obscured, and time simply slips away. At this point, there is denial. The small sanctuary in your mind where rationality exists accepts the reality of the situation, but all your other senses fight back. This can't really be happening? This just doesn't make sense. Scenarios, rumor, and speculation twist and turn until enough straws have been grabbed to make a cozy little nest where false hope can lay an egg or two. I'm being a little melodramatic, but... it was difficult.

"When it rains, it pours". I had forgotten, but it was brought to my attention that on the next day, a friday 7.21.06, 3 friends from work and I went to lunch to have a beer and blow off some steam. I believe we were on our way to Pizza Port, but got bamboozled. It was ridiculously busy, so we ate next door at the Tidewater? On our way back to the car, walking just past PP, a Ford Explorer driving... ~ 40+ mph wizzes by us on the 101 and pulls into a drive way without braking at all, less than 50 ft. in front of us. The SUV disappeared around the facade of a boutique. Seconds later... CrASHWhAMSMACKKAplooEY! The 4 of us hustle up the sidewalk to see the aftermath, and discover a black Jetta totally T-boned by the Explorer. The kicker: The guy in the Explorer gets out of his truck in a haze, only to reveal... HE HAS NO LEGS!! He was driving like a bat out of hell, in traffic, with a pair of titanium kangaroo legs! Unbelievable. And we were literally 10 secs from being in the wrong place at the right time.

Happy Birthday

The weekend came, gratefully. Any distraction was a welcome one. I might have hoped my 33rd would have come and gone under less onerous circumstances. I happened to have family visiting which was nice. My Aunt Liz and Uncle Anthony are fun people. I always enjoy there company. It was great to see Marie as well. She has really grown up. The weather was A+ San Diego style. We all got some good beach time in. My mom made my classic cake (yellow w/ special white frosting). We barbecued and drank margeritas. All in all, a pretty good weekend. Of course, it came and went much to fast, and the burden of pulling together a resume after almost ten years of work was a daunting task.

Addendum: To clarify, the link to the car wreck isn't the actual wreck. The surfer is me.

The Omen: Part 2

As I remember, things seemed almost too good to be true... for everyone. We had just recruited a familiar face, that had previously worked a year or two in the Lerner Lab. The fate of the lab seemed positive, despite the usual tensions that many of its senior members (present company included) had become almost callous to. I had been busy at work, with more than a plate full, but in control. The kind of busy that keeps the days moving quickly, without the added stress of working late or falling too far behind on projects.

The first sign

It's hard to remember back ~ 2 months. At this point, I might have just known for sure that my good friend and colleague Dave Kujawa, was committed to Law school at LMU and leaving the lab in August. This really isn't that ominous alone, but looking back a couple of months later makes it seem so.

Then this

My 33rd birthday, 7.22.06 was on a saturday this year. This photo was taken in the parking lot in front of the Beckman center for chemical science (my building) on the wednesday before my birthday. I can't be completely positive, but I think someone nearly T-boned me about a 1/4 of a mile from my mom's condo on my way to lunch, minutes after taking this photo. I'm sure I had said something to Crystal about it... she would remember. Something was in the air. If my math is right, and it usually is, later that afternoon a friend in the lab delivered the news to myself and a couple of others that the Lerner Lab had run out of funding and everyone had until October 1st to find employment elsewhere... harsh. The rumor had come from the top, and was assumed to be credible. It's the news that you just never want to hear. You're fired! (maybe if it's coming from Trump... maybe) It hits you like a brick, and trust me, I believe you go through all or most of the 12 steps in finally coming to grips with the reality of the situation. The rumor was confirmed the next day by my boss in her usual dramatic and unprofessional way... par for the course. Keep in mind, this is like 2 days before my birthday. What could possibly come next? Tune in and find out.

Note: The link to 12 steps is interesting. I thought that they were much more straight forward in explanation and not religious, ie. shock, denial, anger, acceptance, etc. That was kind of a suprise.

Addendum: Thanks to the comments of a valued source, the 12 steps reference should be replaced by The Kubler-Ross model. TY DR.

The Resurrection: Part 1

The Preface

A lot has happened in the roughly 2 months since my last post. Enough that surely, almost anyone would agree, could suck the life out of a seemingly trivial indulgence... Blogging. Much of the change in my life at the moment, is centered around my job. While change is often a good thing, it can be both physically and mentally fatiguing. After having enough time to pass, I feel somewhat recharged. I'm ready to update, comment, vent and opine on a variety of topics that I will address in a series of posts in an attempt to lure in and recapture "my audience", as opposed to boring everyone to death with an exhaustive catch up post with too many pictures and not really saying anything. My goal in keeping this blog alive is to actually... SAY something (most of the time). To start this new "jihad", I had to give the vehicle a face lift. Hours of HTML tinkering and previewing spawned my blog's new look... I'm happy with it. At this point, I will let all this marinate and create some suspense for part 2 of my quest to get this blog off of life support. Life is sweet again.

Re: Loadass Woodstock

This is what the aftermath looks like. We are f-ing animals. It's pretty digusting. Thank goodness there are groups of people that take one for the team. See the Loadass blog for a couple of pre-devastation photos.

I'm putting the call out. absorb the full tradgedy of this picture, and try to make a difference... no matter how small. Recycle some extra stuff, take part in a beach clean up. I promiss, I won't throw out this guilt trip, and not take action myself. I will make an effort, and post details when I do. Life can be sweet... although after seeing this, I wonder how sometimes.

This is a test...

Somewhere in France, my sister is having too much fun. Wining and dining at a chateaux.

I really wanted to see if I could keep up with the techno, and get some video on my blog to spice things up.

Hats off to Wade et al... and a big F u to LAL

Hats off to Wade
Originally uploaded by your pal Matt.

I'm happy. For Riles, Shaq, GP, Zo, and or course... D Wade. What a baller. Flash is the real deal... and thank god the Mavs choked it. I Hate Dallas. I'm a Dirk guy, but the rest of that team is a bunch of whining, flopping chumps... including the owner. I do have to say however, to any haters out there, the NBA is back! There were some phenominal games this post season. NBA 2006... good times, and a good ending. Now it's time to pork up and find a hollowed tree to nap in until November. I'm glad this series ended in 6, I'm exhausted. I need the rest.

How does Jason Kapono have a ring?

Memoirs of a disgruntled busboy

I took a leisurely stroll to the mail box a few days ago, and what did I find? I found a coupon. Coupon? Yes, a coupon with a large photo of an audacious angler named Duckett, with his machine in one hand, and his prize in the other. How glorious, triumphant, and dare I say mythological on some level.
It's that time of year, the genesis of another summer. The 6 week circus (T.D.M.F.) has started, and everyone and there mother has absconded from there banal existence out east for greener pastures, "where the turf meets the surf". The ponies will soon follow, and the climax of summer debauchery will commence. Who cares any way... right? Just stay away, or embrace the gluttony with a mouthful of fried whatever and a face spattered ala Pollack, with powdered sugar. What you don't know, is that this is no ordinary coupon. Yes, it's a run of the mill restaurant snare, spend 50$ and get 10$ off, but there is added significance for me. It is an ad for the Fish Market.
In case you weren't aware of this, I spent nearly 2 years of my life bussing tables at this "fine" dining establishment. If you've spent any significant stretch of time working in a restaurant, you will undoubtedly appreciate the anxiety that this seemingly harmless solicitation might induce. While the extra money I made was often euphoric, the withdrawal from the nightly restaurant circus was unfailingly exhausting and caustic. After a night of both physically and mentally depleting labor, I would be forced to beleaguer my gratuity from a disgruntled server staff, and emerge from the Fish Market smelling like a mélange of wet garbage and B.O. that was spawned from an expired can of Bumble Bee "chicken of the sea". Stepping into a moonlit night with a wad full of ones in my wet malodorous pockets, it was hard not to feel like a five dollar crack whore standing under a red neon beacon, waiting for the next wave of "johns" drawn into this black hole, perpetuating the viscous cycle and fueling my opiate-like addiction. Just one more night... then I'll quit. That was my mantra. What an F-ing nightmare.
It has now been years since I donned the navy blue apron, dark blue jeans, completely white shoes, and the Eddie Baueresque fish monogrammed polo. I will say that The Fish Market is a quality eatery. The food is good. I will go back occasionally... and reluctantly, to eat. Most of my battle wounds have healed. Every summer these coupons get circulated, and I am compelled to dredge up the memories that have scarred me like a bad tattoo. The moral of this story is to appreciate those that serve you, and especially those that serve you well. A little love goes a long way. And finally, money only assuages one's dignity for so long.

Do you remember your 1st haircut?

AA 1st haircut
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

I don't remember mine. That might be a good thing. Hopefully Aisley won't remember hers. It didn't go this bad the whole time... thankfully. She really did do pretty good. Just a funny pic.

On a lighter note...

S6
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

Holy shit... I thought Crystal put a shirt I wore today in the wash this evening. It had my headphones in the pocket... I almost shit a brick! Luckily it was a lighter color and got left out... phew! headphone tradgedy averted. Riley and Stern show still on schedule for tommorow.

A pen and tuesday's NYtimes CW was washed... no ink catastrophe. Win some, lose some.

Top of the Mountain

Top of the Mountain
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

After riding the high of a great friday afternoon on the high seas last week, I thought I'd reconnect with nature by basking in the memory of past triumph. enjoy the moments you have, where nothing else matters and the day to day seems small and trivial... seriously. Life can be sweet.

This post is the essence of this Blog

What a great way to spend a friday afternoon. Life can be sweet. I decided to take friday afternoon off from the lab to spend the time with my dad. We rented a Cat 270 for a few hours and sailed around San Diego Bay. Sandwich's and beers on the boat... good times. It's really easy to get all rapped up in the importance of your work. Life is short, so go out and enjoy it. Work can wait.

Who do you know?

It just isn't fair. You can't get the good job, the good deal, the good place to stay, or the good seats at a game without knowing someone. I hate having to mooch. It would be nice to have that premium experience, once in a blue moon, without having to drop a grand for a few hours of entertainment. Who are these people? I guess I am glad that I am less that 6 degrees from a few of them.

What is this?

I was relaxing at my mom's place, eating lunch, and watching some TIVO'd JRIB. With a little time left to kill, I surfed over to the Deuce (espn2), only to find this gem. I suspected things were bad, but I had no idea that the world was this deep in the porcelain bowl. I'm slaving away in the lab, and a handful of tractor drivers in golf shoes, wielding putters are making cash money at the local Family Fun Center. F! Me! These photos just paint a picture I can't describe in enough words. Click here.

Cyclone Larry

Cyclone Larry as seen via Earthbrowser
Originally uploaded by davesag.

It's stupid. I know. I accept that I must really be narcissistic, but wouldn't you like some unstoppable force of nature named after you?

Who can you believe?

.

When did news become entertainment? Who decided that I should care what a panel of Monday morning QB's and fortunetellers think, and dish it out as "news"? The fact that groups of made up, wanna be celebs can speculate on topics as important as the War, Financial info, and national crises, and pass it off as news is scary. What is more frightening?.... there are droves of people numb from the overwhelming mass of it all, accepting opine as fact from shear attrition. This IS how neck fisherman get elected to high office, and run the country into the ground. All the while the media ignores the important, to air their version of "news".

ESPN
Originally uploaded by redperm
Sir Winston Churchill: Quotes about Truth
Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is.

Here's hoping more of us have our eyes wide open, and persevere to rise above it all.

St. Patricks Day Reset...

Why is it so fun to be Irish on March 17 th?...

It just is.

A pint... or 5, just tastes a little bit better with family and friends in March.

It has been something of a tradition for a part of my family, that this time of year around my sisters birthday, always seems better spent in the mountains. Guinness just tastes better at ~ 7000 ft. March Madness is simply more dramatic when enjoyed in the comfort of a rustic chalet, by a roaring fire in damp ski clothes. Oh... and the French Onion Soup!









Beware of lurking Irish car BOMBS!

St. Pat's '06 in Whistler, Canada was definitely one for the books.

Quick thoughts...

After a nice long hot shower... is there anything better than warm clean clothes, just out of the dryer, or... maybe a bed with clean sheets tucked tight that hasn't been slept in yet? After some thought, while both are nice, I would take the bed over the warm clothes... that's me. Crystal would take the clothes. What would you take?

Sirius Work

Siriusly! What I've had to go through is ridiculous...

Sometimes in life, one is required to go above and beyond the call of duty for that which is held so dearly. I love/need/can't function in the moring w/o the Stern Show.

I've ran out to my car every night for 2 months. Replaced my car battery. Dropped over 5 C's on equipment. Climbed 20 ft. extension ladders at my own peril. Drilled a hole through my condo.
Gone through Freezes, "hard resets", loss of recorded content, and the like. All for the Final product...




And it is my Zen... finally

Keeping up with the Jones'

After viewing my buddies blog I feel I have to keep up...

I got some recent credit too!





Other than that, I have completely bent my life's schedule around listening to Stern and Rome.

You have to have priorities. Honestly, entertainment really does come first.