Propagating Stereotypes

Oh, Come on!!!


-The lyrics may as well be, "Rice rocket, buy this rice rock-et!"

-Is there any confusion as to the target market, here?

-Did they mix up the Japan and the US television ads?

-Throwing in the video game was just gratuitous, but definitely made the stereotype complete...I'm assuming DDR wouldn't sign off.



Anything I missed?

Hangover Part 2: Thoughts

So, without giving away any real content in the event you haven't yet seen The Hangover Part 2, I'll give my quick thoughts.  It was definitely an entertaining film, that shouldn't be arguable.  However, it wasn't exactly innovative or original.  To me, it appeared as thought the producers took a blueprint from the first movie, twisted a few pieces, and readied up a second dose of the money-making franchise.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but because of that, I have to call 'Bridesmaids' the better movie...I mean, that movie was damn funny, am I wrong?

Catching Up

Okay, so I definitely owe an update from San Diego.  We spent a long Memorial Weekend at Paradise Point in Mission Bay, which is like traveling into a whole different world.  Picture Hawaii without the humidity, except you are just a minute from the So-Cal sun-n-surf.  But Paradise Point was great, it's pretty much a self-containing resort, with a pretty popular and very 'San Diego' restaurant called the Barefoot Bar and Grill.  Live music right by the docs, facing Mission Beach and local brews on tap make this place a spot even locals will frequent.  Quick note:  If you do stay there and order food from room service, it's the Barefoot menu you're ordering off of.

There's also a putt-putt course, tennis courts, a basketball court, table tennis, paddle boats, wave-runners, sailboat and speedboat rentals, bike rentals, surreys, and a water taxi service that just started (currently only goes to Sea World, but they plan on expanding to make a Mission Beach stop).

We made our standard stop at Hacienda de las Rosas, a wine tasting room in Old Town.  It's run by a husband and wife that actually make the wine and run the shop, and their stuff is pretty good.  They have a dessert wine that is absolutely fantastic, and I'll be ordering a case or two when they finally get more vinted; stuff sells like hotcakes!

Also hung out in Mission Beach, and took some time to catch both 'Bridesmaids' and 'Hangover Part 2.'  Not to mention the essential stop at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican spot, our SD trip was absolutely a complete one!

Probably should have Publicly posted this a while ago

I've been saying it since the end of January or beginning of February, but if I haven't told you personally, you probably won't believe me when the 'I told you so' moment comes if I don't make it clear now.  As I said earlier in the year, and I have stuck to my guns on this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average will hit 11,000 again before it reaches 13,000.  Personally, I think that the market's natural level is about 10,500, meaning that the market needs to fall 20% in order to truly normalize.  Coincidentally, the definition of a bear market is a market drop of 20% or more.  This means that the government's quantitative easing program has effectively erased or inflated away a bear market.  Since QE2 ends this month, expect market volitility (and when I say volitility, I mean both up and down, unlike analysts in the media), but a general downward trend towards the 10,500 mark.  Outside forces may prevent a complete drop to 10,500, but I'm still calling out the 11,000 mark.

Wedding Photos: A Few More

All Printed Tees $6
Yes, we are for real.
Now get 10 Tees for only $50!

LA Weekend Destination: San Diego!

We're headed on our Mini-moon this weekend and taking the adventure down to one of LA's favorite weekend spots: San Diego!  We'll be staying at Paradise Point in Mission Bay, and although we're trying to keep the schedule rather light so that we can relax, this ain't our first rodeo in San Diego, and we've got a few things that we like to do while we're down there.  Of course I plan on sharing; that's where the info-tainment comes in!

First step is first...we're leaving for SD on a long, holiday weekend.  So departure timing is critical if you don't want to get hosed in traffic.  To avoid having to play the timing game, the Amtrak Surfliner is always a viable option, which I've enjoyed on more than one occasion.  However, times to depart in the situation that we are facing this weekend include... prior to 11am on Friday or Saturday, or after 7pm on Friday or Saturday....and that's it.

Got more wedding photos to post coming up, and will definitely be checking back in to update on some of the to-do's in SD.  But until then, time for coffee, loading up the car, and headin' out!

Wedding Photos: The first few...

Thanks Mom!  Here are a few shots from the wedding.  Not the professional photos, but still quality, nonetheless...

50% Off At Finishline.com

Funny, smart, topical t-shirts
for trend-bucking guys and girls.

After the Rapture

May 21st came and went in a flash; what a perfect day!  I hope everyone had as good of a time as we did.  And what do you know, the Rapture never came!  We'll have pictures to post shortly, so be sure to check back as I post the latest!

Last Words

In just 3 hours I'll be a married man.
It's prep time, and photos are imminent, but I'm excited & waiting, so I'll kill some time with a post.
Preparing to hear every cliche greeting & congratulations in the book, but can't wait to see & party with everyone.
And of course, after party will be at Villa Sorriso on Colorado @ Pasadena Ave, 10:30pm; we've got 2 VIP tables!

FINAL WEEKEND: Results

Okay, so I had to spread my planned adventures across 2 days, but here's how it went...

- Went by an Open House in Marina del Rey.  I'm finally seeing real estate prices venture into the believeable levels of reality, so I thought I'd check it out.  The owners are auctioning the place via in interesting concept of round-robin bidding, executed over the phone.  Best of luck to them, and I'm curious to see how much they get for the 2-2.5, 1,575 sqft condo.  If it goes for under $450K, I'll know that the market is serious about attracting buyers, but until then, I'm happy to sit on the sidelines and watch the equity bloodbath.

- Find an after-party spot:  Looks like Liv Lounge will be the spot; just have to talk to the folks there and see how they can accomodate.

- Santee Alley:  Huge success, got everything I needed and more.  I always get excited when I'm there, yet depressed that I don't frequent the place more often.  Oh yeah, they started a rewards program that a number of the bodegas are participating in; 10% off purchases at participating stores, and the card only costs you $1 for the month!  Definitley put that bad-boy to use.

- Photos:  It was so gorgeous on Sunday morning, I had to head to Echo Park to take some photos.  I'll post them this week after I get a chance to touch them up a bit.

-Massage:  Got my monthly over at Massage Envy.  Received devastating news that my massouse is leaving next week, but I'll survive.  Never had any Thai worked into my massages before...whoa!  A stretch with the massage is something I could get used to!

- Never made it to Fry's and still need to get blank CD's. See, this concept is so foreign to me that I forgot to complete the task!



Oh, BTW....this is THE SPOT'S 100th Post...Wahoo!