Vacation Highlights

Last week may be the last time I get to go on vacation until January of next year. As I start my new job next week, I’m entitled to zero time off for the next six months. So last week, I enjoyed every last second of freedom. Here are some highlights:

- Fog City Diner - Dinner with Dee, Elaine, and Gia in San Francisco. Thanks for celebrating with me, guys!

- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk – Aside from feeling nauseated from all those rides, we had a great time. The weather was perfect for an afternoon at the beach. My forehead got sunburned though.

- The Outdoors / Malabuyo Camping Trip: Sunset State Beach is a great site for camping – quite possibly my favorite of all time. The area was nice and clean. It was very close to the beach. It had enough trees for shade. And, the ocean breeze kept us cool throughout. The trip was so great - I couldn’t help but make a Top Ten List of our Camping Highlights:

10) Uncle Jup’s wardrobe – just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, it does.
9) Singing light rock songs by the campfire – thanks A.J. Bread rules by the way!
8) Corned-beef hash Filipino style! Yum!
7) This!
6) The line game – the most fun beach game ever!
5) Marshmallows, hotdogs, and hot chocolate by the campfire.
4) Uncle Levi’s lame (racial & sexist) jokes.
3) Singing “Happy Birthday” to Buboy – sounded more like a funeral.
2) Jumping in the freezing ocean water. Can you say, “shrinkage”?
1) Spending the weekend with family and friends – priceless indeed.

For more photos, go to TimChes.com (thanks for all the pics Tim & Ches)

Two Weeks Notice (Part III)

I had lunch with a couple of co-workers yesterday. It’s been a routine for the 3 of us to go to a different restaurant once a week. I thought about how much I’m going to miss these guys, especially the laughs. And the funny thing is, we’re all so different from each other. One is a former college and pro basketball player from the 70’s who lives in Oakland and is probably one of the funniest and tallest people I’ve ever met. The other is your typical white guy who’s like the older version me (he’s 37) – he loves movies, especially indie flicks, loves the same music as I do, and loves good restaurants. I see no other circumstance in which the 3 of us would ever sit down to have lunch together unless we all worked in the same office. The workplace truly brings people together. I hope we all keep in touch in the future.

More to come …

Coldplay X,Y & Z

Mark Morford, one of my favorite Chronicle writers, provided an interesting perspective on why the world loves Coldplay. He brought up some interesting points in the piece about how Coldplay is a clean cut band that plays songs which make people happy without really saying anything in their lyrics. As you know, Coldplay is one of my favorite bands. I even labeled them as the next U2, if the band members stay together long enough. But, Morford’s column really made me think. This band does make beautiful music with great melodies. However, unlike U2, they never really say anything that would change the world or of any substance. When you think about it, aside from the album Parachutes, the songs are mainly all “fluff” - which isn’t a bad thing. Like Morford said, in these days, we all welcome anything that’s positive. If Coldplay’s music brings more smiles and more “mushy” feelings in people’s hearts, then more power to them. I still get the same “tingly” feeling every time I hear “Yellow”.

Dave’s Review
Album: X&Y
Must Hear Tracks: Fix You, Speed of Sound, Swallowed in the Sea, Till Kingdom Come
Okay, so it’s still not as great as Parachutes nor as catchy as Rush of Blood to the Head. But, it’s still a very solid album. It may not be as good by Coldplay standards, but to compare this selection with other rock albums in the Top 20 – well, let’s just say that our featured band can beat the crap out of Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, and the Black Eyed Peas combined. X&Y is not a bad album, don’t get me wrong. It’s original in its own way.
Coldplay has separated themselves from the pack with their heartfelt songs and completely unique sound. They continue to experiment and take chances and it works. And us, the fans, continue to enjoy it. I’m sure my opinion of this recent album will change in a few months – I just have to let it simmer for a while.

Tidbits

Last night was my cousin Mary Jo’s graduation which was held at the Concord Pavilion. Wow! Clayton Valley High’s class of 2005 was huge. There were about 200 + students that marched last night. Mary Jo sang a solo during the ceremony. As always, she did a great job. I would have been intimidated to sing in front of thousands of people which included fellow students. She’s got guts, man.

Bunny, my cousin’s daughter, is in town for 2 weeks. That made my day.

Last night, I caught a glimpse of The O’Reilly Factor. He discussed the incident that happened in Santa Monica during Schwarzenegger’s speech at a local college. Apparently, people (and some faculty members) were booing and protesting while the governor was speaking. O’Reilly called their actions, “un-American” and “un-democratic”. Look, the behavior of the protestors was disrespectful and inappropriate, but to call it “un-American” or “un-democratic”? Please! Is it any wonder why O’Reilly is often criticized for being right-wing biased? He labeled these protestors as being “from the left”. Ah, hello! Do you actually know that for a fact, Mr. O’Reilly? Fact is, some Californians are just not happy with some of the things the governor is doing. This has nothing to do with being on the “left” or “right”. The way he’s handled the educational system in this state is probably the biggest issue on these people’s minds. Also, protesting, as far as I know, is still legal in this country. Free speech is not “un-American” or “un-democratic”. It’s an American right, Mr. O’Reilly. You’ve been hanging around Limbaugh have you. Lay off on those drugs!

Two Weeks Notice (Part II)

It’s been an overwhelming 2 days for me at work. I’ve received phone calls and emails from folks wishing me the best as I leave the company. I have begun sending notes to clients to inform them of the changes that are happening on my particular desk. The office has assigned a temporary replacement for me until they find a permanent person before August. I’m glad she’s experienced at the job – training her will be short and easy.

I’m glad that I’m going on vacation next week. It’ll give me some time to breathe and take care of some personal affairs before I start my new job. Plus, we’re having our annual, much-anticipated Malabuyo camping trip next weekend. Spending time with my cousins, friends, and family is always a blast. Someone should bring alcohol this year. Pass the beer and wine around.

To Dee, thanks for giving me encouragement throughout this transition phase. You gave me confidence to actually take on this new job opportunity. I couldn’t have done it without your support.

More to come …

Two Weeks Notice

I never intended 2005 to be a year of transition, but it’s really shaping up to be that way. Yesterday afternoon, I told my advertising team that I had officially given my 2 weeks notice. The Chronicle has been great to me during these past 5 years. However, there’s a lot of uncertainty within the company. Plus, I was offered a better position elsewhere. So, as of July 1st, I will no longer be an employee of the San Francisco Chronicle. It really is bittersweet. I’ve met some awesome people in this company and have made life-long friends as well. Leaving this company behind is tough – I know it will be a sad final 2 weeks.

Moving forward, I will be taking an Ad Coordinator position in the SF Weekly. I’m excited with this new venture, but have some anxiety as well. I think that’s just normal. My new boss, who I used to work with in the Chronicle, recruited me for this new position - I just hope I don’t let him down.

More to come …

20 Best Bad Movies of All Time

The May issue of GQ had a piece on the 25 Best Bad Movies of All Time. These are films that we still sit through and enjoy despite being awful, “Guilty pleasures” you might say. Movies that we turn off when people enter the room. Films that would ruin our reputation if our friends ever find out that we like them. They’re DVD’s that we hide behind our Spielberg & Scorcese collection. GQ’s list include movies like, Point Break, Vanilla Sky, Smokey and the Bandit, etc …
Here’s my own list of the 20 Best Bad Movies of All Time (and I’m not embarrassed to admit it):

20) The Mummy - Thanks to the Holliday kids, I'm hooked!
19) First Blood – Rambo’s first introduction to the world. No handshake here – eat this grenade sucka!
18) Real Genius – Seems like it’s on Comedy Central every weekend. This is proof that Val Kilmer’s acting skills has not improved over the years.
17) Rocky III – Perhaps my favorite of all the Rocky movies. They were all bad mind you.
16) Troy – Bad acting, hunky men, and a gorgeous Helen – imagine what could have been.
15) Phantom Menace – They’re on this list thanks to Jake Lloyd, Jar Jar, and George Lucas. That’s neither good nor bad.
14) Jurassic Park II – Another case of a sequel gone wrong. The T-Rex is still on the loose by the way.
13) Superman II – So let me get this, Superman gives up his powers to be with Margot Kidder? Pleeaze!
12) Ghostbusters – Bad special effects, slime, the Stay Puft marshmallow man, and Bill Murray. ‘Nuff said.
11) Starship Troopers – It’s bad. It’s sci-fi bad. But, you can’t deny the gore, the nudity, the bad script, and the special effects. Take that George Lucas!
10) Bloodsport - Every bad movie list needs to have a Van Damme flick included in it.
9) America Pie I & II – Ok, so I like the dirty jokes every once in a while. Is that bad?
8) The Replacements – Keanu as a pro-quarterback? Stick with Neo.
7) Terminator II – It’s funny how Arnold’s Terminator & his Governator really have a lot in common.
6) Major League I & II – The bad version of “If you build it, they will come”.
5) Clash of the Titans – My first taste of Greek mythology. Taste better with ketchup.
4) Armageddon – It’s Ben Affleck! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
3) Return of the Jedi – As much as I hate those Ewoks, this is still a good bad finale to an epic.
2) Independence Day – When Will Smith punched the alien and said, "Welcome to Earth", it almost brought tears to my eyes.
1) Karate Kid I, II & III – It’s a mystery to me why I still enjoy this series. Maybe it’s because of the aura of Mr. Miyagi. Or, maybe because it’s an underdog story – a skinny, but courageous young kid against mean, rich teenagers conspiring to bring him down. Or maybe it's the "Crane" stance. Oh, that Daniel Larusso!

Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic

This is one of the coolest summer events in the Bay Area. We’ve gone to this twice and had a blast both times. One year we actually took a ride on one of the balloons. It was a real treat. We’re planning on going again this year. If any of you out there don’t mind waking up early to go and see the balloons, let us know and we’ll all go together. It’s quite an experience and definitely worth the 5am wake up. Plus, they have great food at the event … can’t beat that!

Info:
Saturday, July 16 - Sunday, July 17
Keiser Park
700 Windsor River Road
Windsor, CA 95492
Website: www.schabc.org/

Losers of the Month (May)

Anna Ayala & James Plascencia
Need I say more? Here’s a couple who thought that they could swindle Wendy’s out of a million dollar bogus lawsuit because of a finger tip. These 2 could quite possibly be the biggest losers of the YEAR! You see, it’s one thing to accuse a fast food chain for being a community health risk (dirty kitchens, food poisoning, etc …), but to conspire against a major corporation in such a bizarre manner is just completely careless and totally irresponsible. Didn’t they know that Wendy’s would eventually launch a full investigation against their claim? Didn’t they know that someone would eventually find out that Anna Ayala has had previous bogus lawsuits in the past? Say it with me, “What were they thinking”?

I’ve always said, “There are no stupid people in the world, only lazy people”. I guess I was wrong. These 2 are 2005’s version of Dumb and Dumber. You have to give them credit though – they were creative.

As for Wendy’s, they will eventually recover from this unfortunate incident. As much as I hate fast food joints, I can’t help but feel sorry for their company and their workers. I heard on the news today that their sales figures are significantly down since the "finger" fiasco.

In any event, I hope that Ayala and her co-conspirator get what they deserve. I heard prisons give new meaning to words like, "finger" and "chili". Let's hope they learn their lesson.