| You scored as Christianity. Your views are most similar to those of Christianity. Do more research on Christianity and possibly consider being baptized and accepting Jesus, if you aren't already Christian. Christianity is the second of the Abrahamic faiths; it follows Judaism and is followed by Islam. It differs in its belief of Jesus, as not a prophet nor historical figure, but as God in human form. The Holy Trinity is the concept that God takes three forms: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost (sometimes called Holy Spirit). Jesus taught the idea of instead of seeking revenge, one should love his or her neighbors and enemies. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humankind and forgive people's sins.
Which religion is the right one for you? (new version) created with QuizFarm.com |
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Which Religion is the Right One for You?
Found this test rather ineresting. I guess 10 years of Catholic school will do this to you. I like how I scored almost as high for Buddhism. Most alarming has to be that Satanism is even an option, but I guess it is relgion, huh?
Moblog Your Mind
Texas Signage
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.
You'd never see a sign like this in California. I guess this shows how different two of the largest states in the union are, not only geographically, but politically. We can talk about Red state this Blue state that, and even the Purple-ness of our country, but this is a polarizing little piece of politics right here.
I snapped this picture at a Target (right across the street from a Wal-Mart no less) because I thought it pretty indicative that we were most definitely strangers in our own country. I know people who like to shoot guns. Heck, I know people who own guns. Personally, I believe there is a right to bear arms, but when it comes to regulations and the like, I can be somewhat opinionated. I'll keep this post opinion-free though.
Reminds me of being asked if I had any weapons before walking into the Space Center. Just a little less forward. This stands as a reminder that I've really never travelled all that much and need to do more of it. Here's hoping a Summer trip will be in the works soon!
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Houston Moblogging
Post Oak Wilderness
Originally uploaded by kardinalsin.
There are a bunch of pictures on my camphone from our trip to Houston, so in an effort to get rid of them, might as well post them!
Anyhow, the region of Houston where the wedding took place has to be the Beverly Hills of Texas. There was a Bentley and Rolls Royce dealership nearby, a mall fit to rival South Coast and the Beverly Center, and California multi-million dollar homes at Texas prices. One thing that I liked about the area were these huge street signs at major traffic signals. Even so, it was horrible trying to drive around there. You think Los Angeles traffic is bad? Houston traffic is ten times worse.
I'll dig up more pictures to post later, stay tuned.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Design Tyme
Ah, an update to the ongoing saga of my Toy Design class. I'm really struggling to come to terms with the fact that sometimes you just have to let it go and stop tweaking a character design. Here, I have updated a little tiny, tiny bit the original sketch that I had done of Justin Tyme, the main character of my imaginary toy line. Someone remarked that he looked "mischievieous" which is definitely a good thing. Being that it was the spiky hair that made him look mischievious to them, I'm not sure if the opinion can be trusted.
Now, the assignment for this week was to have some completed designs with feature sketches as well. Since my characters don't really have any features to begin with, I decided to just focus on expanding the character bin. What follows are my attempts at coming up with some other characters (related to Justin here) appealing enough and with plenty of personalit for kids to play with.
How the West Was Won
Initially, I had the idea that I'd just focus on the historical figures, but I realized I had to make sure all of Justin's relatives were fleshed out as well. You know, to ground everything close to home. I read a blurb somewhere that the reason the original Star Wars movies work so much better than the prequels is because of Han Solo, who acts as the realist in the initial saga. Although one can't get more realistic than history, I felt that the figures themselves would be so much larger in life if somewhat ordinary people were able to identify with how awesome their backgrounds were.
That's how I ended up with the next two guys. So far, the only backstory I have cooked up for Buckeye here is that he is part of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's touring Wild West show. There's something about his Eastwoodedness that I like and thankfully, he didn't come out looking too generic. He is missing something crucial to the costume though, can you guess what it is?
Blackbeard's Ghost
Another idea I had was to make one of his relatives a sailor on Blackbeards ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. I liked the passage I read from Wikipedia about Edward "Blackbeard" Teach when I first scanned it, and kids definitely like pirates, so how can you go wrong? A slight fear I do have though is whether or not my character designs appear to be too violent. Hopefully not, if so, gotta keep sketching.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Houston, We Have Liftoff
Headed to Texas tomorrow, so I haven't really been able to update on the Toy Design project. I'm actually a bit perturbed by how it's been going this week in that I had a rough day artistically yesterday. When you have momentum and keep drawing for a good period of time, you have to learn to keep going, and unfortunately, I lost my momentum last night. It's depressing because I really liked how some of my drawings turned out initially, but trying to improve upon it has been painful.
What does one do to spark new embers of creativity? Myself, I usually like listening to music while I'm drawing. I guess it puts me in the mood of isolation, which is how I usually feel when sketching a lot. Sometimes it'll come after reading a book, seeing a movie that strikes me, or even by just a passing mood. Too bad some of these passing moods happen while I'm working, can't do any drawing there.
Well, what I hope to accomplish this weekend is to find something inspirational outside of California. Ideally, I guess one could say that finding inspiration would be even easier outside of the country as opposed to outside of the state, but I haven't the resources at the moment to accomplish such a thing. There is the slight dream that one day I can have a 'travel journal' sort of sketch book, when that will happen I can't be all too sure, but travel I will! Until then, I have my music, I have my new art supplies (always inspirational), and I have my assignments. That will have to do.
What is it that inspires you?
What does one do to spark new embers of creativity? Myself, I usually like listening to music while I'm drawing. I guess it puts me in the mood of isolation, which is how I usually feel when sketching a lot. Sometimes it'll come after reading a book, seeing a movie that strikes me, or even by just a passing mood. Too bad some of these passing moods happen while I'm working, can't do any drawing there.
Well, what I hope to accomplish this weekend is to find something inspirational outside of California. Ideally, I guess one could say that finding inspiration would be even easier outside of the country as opposed to outside of the state, but I haven't the resources at the moment to accomplish such a thing. There is the slight dream that one day I can have a 'travel journal' sort of sketch book, when that will happen I can't be all too sure, but travel I will! Until then, I have my music, I have my new art supplies (always inspirational), and I have my assignments. That will have to do.
What is it that inspires you?
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Fooooood
These things circulate all over the place. Most people's favorite subject this time: food.
1. favorite main entree:
Enchiladas. Baked cheesy goodness.
2. favorite salad:
Greek salad sans olives.
3. favorite soup:
Tomato with a dollop of sour cream.
4. favorite appetizer:
Potato skins
5. favorite dessert:
Cheeeesecake.
6. favorite fruit:
Bananas... what?
7. favorite vegetable:
Zuchinni... again, what?
8. favorite sashimi:
Tuna.
9. favorite sushi roll:
Caterpillar. Nothing like unagi and avocado.
10. favorite soda beverage:
IBC Cream Soda
11. favorite non-alcoholic beverage:
Kiwi Strawberry Snapple.
12. favorite alcoholic shot:
Goldschlager
13. favorite alcoholic drink:
Single Barrel and Coke
14. favorite cake:
Carrot Cake, please.
15. favorite pie:
Um. Cheesecake?
16. favorite ice cream:
Oatmeal Cookie Crunch or Chunky Monkey
17. favorite milkshake:
Neopolitan
18. favorite cut of beef:
Ribeye
19. favorite cuisine:
Mexican food. I can't help it.
20. favorite part of chicken: (leg, wing, thigh, breast)
Breast... WHAT??
21. favorite fried food:
Refried enchiladas with egg. Best breakfast, EVER.
22. favorite cookie:
Do-si-do
23. favorite indian curry:
Don't know. Lamb?
24. favorite gum:
Orbitz, any flavor.
25. favorite candy:
Caramel Chews
26. favorite crepe:
Have I had enough crepes to make that judgement? No.
27. favorite sandwich:
Racquet Club at Houston's.
28. favorite pizza:
Meat Lover's at Pizza Hut
29. favorite mexican dish:
Enchiladas, how many times do I have to say this!
30. favorite vietnamese dish:
Extra large combo Pho.
31. favorite korean dish:
Short ribs, thank you.
32. favorite chinese dish:
Pan Fried Beef Chow Fun.
33. favorite filipino dish:
Same with the crepes. I haven't eaten enough to make that judgement.
34. favorite southern food:
Cornbread.
35. favorite instant noodles brand:
I'm no expert...
36. favorite juice:
Orange Pineapple Banana.
37. favorite snack food:
Cheez-its
38. favorite fish:
Salmon
39. favorite cereal:
Honey Bunches of Oats
40. favorite pho:
Same as the Vietnamese food. Extra large combo pho.
41. favorite breakfast food:
Pamcakes and Hashbrowns.
42. favorite french food:
Creme Brulee?
43. favorite mcdonalds food:
Big Mac
44. favorite pasta dish:
Lasagna
45. favorite bread:
Ciabatta
46. favorite tea:
Oooolong
47. favorite 7-11 slurpee flavor:
Coke
48. favorite hershey's kiss:
Caramel Hugs
49. favorite flavor of m&m's:
Peanut Butter
50. favorite candy bar:
Nutrageous
Monday, March 14, 2005
Hoops Hoopla
March Madness, baby.
Good ol' Stanford Cardinal struggled at the beginning of the year, picked it up big time to get wins against both Arizona and Washington in a bitter Pac-10 battle for the top, and now have played themselves into an 6 seed in the Austin regional in the NCAA men's basketball tourney. Seeing that the No. 1 ranked Stanford women's team only gets a 2 seed in the women's tourney, the men should consider themselves lucky. I've seen few games this year, due to the lack of SoCal coverage of NoCal schools (of course), but March is when I really get into the mood for some insane college basketball action.
The team itself really let me down early in the season when they entered conference play 3 games in at 0-3. A paltry 6-7 overall record with losses to Santa Clara and Washington St. really didn't look promising until Chris Hernandez and crew buckled down and manhandled the Arizona Wildcats. From them on, I read many a story of playing with heart, playing with determination, and playing team basketball in the Stanford tradition. It's heartbreaking for me to see them seeded in their regional with a possible second round match up with the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils, but I've seen them perform miracles against this team in the past. No basketball memory is brighter for me than the Casey Jacobsen off-the-glass game-winner of nearly five years ago and being in the sixth-man club for a year was one of my favorite college memories in itself.
Will they be strong enough to make it past a second-round curse that's plagued them since their Final Four appearance in 1998? Will they return to the greatness they possessed with a 30-2 season last year? I hope so.
Good ol' Stanford Cardinal struggled at the beginning of the year, picked it up big time to get wins against both Arizona and Washington in a bitter Pac-10 battle for the top, and now have played themselves into an 6 seed in the Austin regional in the NCAA men's basketball tourney. Seeing that the No. 1 ranked Stanford women's team only gets a 2 seed in the women's tourney, the men should consider themselves lucky. I've seen few games this year, due to the lack of SoCal coverage of NoCal schools (of course), but March is when I really get into the mood for some insane college basketball action.
The team itself really let me down early in the season when they entered conference play 3 games in at 0-3. A paltry 6-7 overall record with losses to Santa Clara and Washington St. really didn't look promising until Chris Hernandez and crew buckled down and manhandled the Arizona Wildcats. From them on, I read many a story of playing with heart, playing with determination, and playing team basketball in the Stanford tradition. It's heartbreaking for me to see them seeded in their regional with a possible second round match up with the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils, but I've seen them perform miracles against this team in the past. No basketball memory is brighter for me than the Casey Jacobsen off-the-glass game-winner of nearly five years ago and being in the sixth-man club for a year was one of my favorite college memories in itself.
Will they be strong enough to make it past a second-round curse that's plagued them since their Final Four appearance in 1998? Will they return to the greatness they possessed with a 30-2 season last year? I hope so.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Justin Tyme
My Toy Design class has been very rewarding so far. I mean, I'm learning a lot and really enjoying the new look at Product Design from more of a toy standpoint, but I really feel there's something more that I want to gain from Otis itself. Part of it, I think, is the fact that I really enjoyed the work in my illustration class a lot more. Not to say I haven't had a lot of drawing to do, I have. Check it out. You can click on the following for up close pictures, but a couple of them are quite huge.
Here's one of my first passes (actually my fourth attempt) at a character design for the project I'm working on. There's a specific look I'm going for here, but to tell the truth, it's not the look I ultimately wanted to achieve. Unsatisfied, I tried something a little different.
This one actually was a lot closer to my original sketch (not shown) and it came out pretty good. I really liked it at first, or at least the look of it, but after going through a few full-body sketches, I still wasn't terribly happy with it.
Here's a pirate version of my character, sans glasses. After going through a couple iterations including an inventor costume, swashbuckler costume, and even cowboy costume, I got the idea that the pirate look may be the most appealing for the age group I was attempting to reign in. My instructor actually told me to aim for tweens, and although I was thinking a bit younger, her suggestion does make a bit of sense. The look lends itself to a lot of possibility and also to a lot more fun, so I think I'll explore it a bit more. In the end however, the look I ended up with is quite different.
Here's the last one I came up with. It's actually more in tune with my original idea of a modern-day character trying to discover his past, his ancestors, and history in general. Something still cries out "generic" to me, which is disappointing. I'm sure, however, with more sketching, and more time, I'll nail it down though. The instructor says that it is quite common to change your idea very, very often. I'm not averse to it either, because I have to admit that I'm having difficulty being happy with it so far. It's very fun though and the learning process has been great for me creatively and artistically. I'll keep updating as time goes on.
Here's one of my first passes (actually my fourth attempt) at a character design for the project I'm working on. There's a specific look I'm going for here, but to tell the truth, it's not the look I ultimately wanted to achieve. Unsatisfied, I tried something a little different.
This one actually was a lot closer to my original sketch (not shown) and it came out pretty good. I really liked it at first, or at least the look of it, but after going through a few full-body sketches, I still wasn't terribly happy with it.
Here's a pirate version of my character, sans glasses. After going through a couple iterations including an inventor costume, swashbuckler costume, and even cowboy costume, I got the idea that the pirate look may be the most appealing for the age group I was attempting to reign in. My instructor actually told me to aim for tweens, and although I was thinking a bit younger, her suggestion does make a bit of sense. The look lends itself to a lot of possibility and also to a lot more fun, so I think I'll explore it a bit more. In the end however, the look I ended up with is quite different.
Here's the last one I came up with. It's actually more in tune with my original idea of a modern-day character trying to discover his past, his ancestors, and history in general. Something still cries out "generic" to me, which is disappointing. I'm sure, however, with more sketching, and more time, I'll nail it down though. The instructor says that it is quite common to change your idea very, very often. I'm not averse to it either, because I have to admit that I'm having difficulty being happy with it so far. It's very fun though and the learning process has been great for me creatively and artistically. I'll keep updating as time goes on.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Hellblazer
A couple of weeks ago, I caught the latest movie to bring comics to life, Constantine. For those who don't know, this movie is based on a character created by the great DC Comics monthly serial, Hellblazer. I'm not the biggest Hellblazer fan, but I'm a fan of John Constantine.
I really didn't have much expectation for the movie itself. I'd heard it was subpar, that Keanu didn't work in the film, and that the effects weren't worth mentioning. So going into the theater, I had no high hopes at all. Surprisingly, I ended up liking it. I'll keep the review brief, but Keanu actually captured a bit of what makes Constantine an appealing (or should that be appalling) character to begin with.
To really get the point across, I should mention that the movie itself was a bit over the top as far as Hellblazer is concerned. The comic itself is more of a character piece, with hardly any action and much more horror. The part where Keanu whips out the "Holy Shotgun?" That would never happen. What happens, and it happens often, is that Constantine is an asshole. Plain and simple, he's a magician not to help out the angels, not to help out the demons, but to help out himself. One of his first lines in the movie, "Constantine. John Constantine, asshole." is spot on, unbelievably. Even his final "goodbye" to Lucifer is in character. They made him American, they made him a brunette, but at least they kept his sick sense of humor intact.
Besides this, the movie itself wasn't too bad. I liked the effects, I liked Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, and I even liked Gavin Rossdale in a small role as Balthazar. It says a bit on the relationships between humans and God, and humans and the devil, but that's probably best saved for another time.
I don't imagine the movie has a lot of legs, seeing as most people I saw it with thought it "OK," but what the heck, I thought it entertaining.
Final Score: 3 out of 5 stars.
I really didn't have much expectation for the movie itself. I'd heard it was subpar, that Keanu didn't work in the film, and that the effects weren't worth mentioning. So going into the theater, I had no high hopes at all. Surprisingly, I ended up liking it. I'll keep the review brief, but Keanu actually captured a bit of what makes Constantine an appealing (or should that be appalling) character to begin with.
To really get the point across, I should mention that the movie itself was a bit over the top as far as Hellblazer is concerned. The comic itself is more of a character piece, with hardly any action and much more horror. The part where Keanu whips out the "Holy Shotgun?" That would never happen. What happens, and it happens often, is that Constantine is an asshole. Plain and simple, he's a magician not to help out the angels, not to help out the demons, but to help out himself. One of his first lines in the movie, "Constantine. John Constantine, asshole." is spot on, unbelievably. Even his final "goodbye" to Lucifer is in character. They made him American, they made him a brunette, but at least they kept his sick sense of humor intact.
Besides this, the movie itself wasn't too bad. I liked the effects, I liked Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, and I even liked Gavin Rossdale in a small role as Balthazar. It says a bit on the relationships between humans and God, and humans and the devil, but that's probably best saved for another time.
I don't imagine the movie has a lot of legs, seeing as most people I saw it with thought it "OK," but what the heck, I thought it entertaining.
Final Score: 3 out of 5 stars.
Hellblazer P.S.
Couple of random thoughts. John Constantine is actually based on Sting. British, blonde, and definitely not Keanu. Also, the movie itself is a hodge-podge of storylines from a few Hellblazer comics and not the single storyline it makes itself out to be. The drawing above was actually drawn this last Sunday, so I took my time drawing it after seeing the movie. Since I have the scanner now, I'll try and post more drawings in my spare time, so keep your eyes peeled.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Survey Says...
Yet another e-mail survey. They all look stunningly the same!
1. What time is it?
3:32 p.m. PST
2. Your name as it appears on birth certificate:
Mark Edward Navarrete
3. NICKNAME:
Marky Mark (ugh), Funky Bunch (double ugh), and Bud (parents call me that, and NO ONE ELSE). I'm sure there are others that escape me at the moment.
4. Piercing:
None. I have no extra holes in my head.
5. Eye color:
Brown with flecks of gold (right).
6. Place of birth:
Long Beach, straight outta the LBC
7. Favorite food:
Mexican food, always.
8. Ever been to Africa?
Nope. Maybe I'll be on safari someday.
9. Ever been toilet papering?
Twice. Some might say my childhood was deprived.
10. Love someone so much it made you cry?
Yea. Always.
11. Been in a car accident?
Unfortunately, yes.
12. Croutons or bacon bits?
Bacon!
13. Favorite day of the week:
Sunday, for the pure laziness of it all.
14. Favorite restaurant:
Houston's. YUM.
15. Favorite flower:
As a guy, I don't know that I have a favorite flower?
16. Favorite sport/s to watch?
Hockey and basketball. College basketball and Professional.
17. Favorite drink:
Cream Soda. Preferrably, ICB.
18. Favorite ice cream:
Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey or Oatmeal Cookie Crunch.
19. Disney or Warner Bros?
Uh… Disney for their movies and Warner Brothers for their insanity.
20. Favorite fast food restaurant?
In and Out. Followed by Tommy's.
21. What color is your bedroom carpet?
Cream/White?
22. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Never did, amazingly.
23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail?
From work. Either that or from Jenny.
24. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Wouldn't do that, but I'd probably max it out at Best Buy.
25. What you do most often when you are bored:
Draw or play video games. I find myself chatting all the time too. I have no life.
26. Bedtime?
11 and later.
27. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest?
No one, unless u read my blog and do the same survey of questions.
28. Who is the person you sent this to that is the least likely to respond?
Um, everyone that doesn't read the blog?
29. Favorite T.V. show:
LOST/ALIAS. I am JJ Abrams' bitch.
30. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Grace <3
31. Ford or Chevy?
Ford.
32. What are you listening to right now?
Kasabian. It's alright.
33. Your favorite color?
Red
34. Lake, ocean or river?
Growing up by the beach, I'd be remiss if I didn't say the ocean.
35. Have you ever run out of gas?
My mustang had a broken gas meter and a faulty fuel pump, what do you think?
36. Time you finished this e-mail:
3:41, baby.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Pound Puppy
Taken at the Westminster Mall pet store, this little guy was born not even a couple of weeks ago, and now finds himself waiting for a puppy-loving family to pick him up. Whenever I can, I like to take a look at pet stores to see the dogs in the hopes that one day I'll have a house or a pet-friendly apartment. It's especially sad whenever I see a little guy like this.
A while back, I would also take the time to check out Pet Finder to see what dogs are up for adoption. I've had aspirations of one day owning either a beagle, a border collie, or another purebred, and it's heartbreaking to see these dogs, or any dog for that matter, unwanted. Some people have reasons for not being able to care for their pets, but in that case, they should have never gotten one in the first place. Other circumstances, health problems and disobedience are more unfortunate, any unwanted pet is sad in their way.
To my dismay, I've learned that most of the dogs in pet stores are from puppy mills. These little dog factories are some of the most inhumane ways to raise dogs these days, and knowing this, it makes it hard to condone pet store practices. Especially at a smaller store like this one. If anyone is to buy a pet, I'd highly recommend going through a well-reputed breeder if you can, through someone you know with a puppy litter, or adopting a pet in need. Although a little more expensive, you can be assured the dog will be healthier, happier, and more welcome to your home if they come from a breeder. Also, if you can't trust your friends to take care of their puppies, than who can you trust?
Going back to adopting pets though, it's something most admirable, and I really appreciate those who are willing to do whatever it takes to rescue an animal. Those with the need for surgery and special medical needs are all the more special if they can find someone who can love and take care of them. Supporting any organization that takes care of rescued animals is also something to keep in mind. A couple of my favorites are Little Angels Pug Rescue and the Beagle Adoption Center of Southern California. Some day, whenever I have room and the ability to care for a dog, I'll look into either of these organizations, but for the time being all I can do is look.
A while back, I would also take the time to check out Pet Finder to see what dogs are up for adoption. I've had aspirations of one day owning either a beagle, a border collie, or another purebred, and it's heartbreaking to see these dogs, or any dog for that matter, unwanted. Some people have reasons for not being able to care for their pets, but in that case, they should have never gotten one in the first place. Other circumstances, health problems and disobedience are more unfortunate, any unwanted pet is sad in their way.
To my dismay, I've learned that most of the dogs in pet stores are from puppy mills. These little dog factories are some of the most inhumane ways to raise dogs these days, and knowing this, it makes it hard to condone pet store practices. Especially at a smaller store like this one. If anyone is to buy a pet, I'd highly recommend going through a well-reputed breeder if you can, through someone you know with a puppy litter, or adopting a pet in need. Although a little more expensive, you can be assured the dog will be healthier, happier, and more welcome to your home if they come from a breeder. Also, if you can't trust your friends to take care of their puppies, than who can you trust?
Going back to adopting pets though, it's something most admirable, and I really appreciate those who are willing to do whatever it takes to rescue an animal. Those with the need for surgery and special medical needs are all the more special if they can find someone who can love and take care of them. Supporting any organization that takes care of rescued animals is also something to keep in mind. A couple of my favorites are Little Angels Pug Rescue and the Beagle Adoption Center of Southern California. Some day, whenever I have room and the ability to care for a dog, I'll look into either of these organizations, but for the time being all I can do is look.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Ghetto Dogs
Never thought I'd experience something like this, but hey, this is Los Angeles.
Last night, Grace and I went to Pink's for dinner.
We sit down at a table with our dogs and a man in a suit walks to another table and starts talking to this Hispanic family next to us. He starts asking them if they want to purchase stun guns or pepper spray. 10,000 volts for $35! The family's most interested as one of the guys says, "They use that to initiate guys into the crew." I hear the stun gun buzzing while I'm biting into my "Today Show" hot dog.
They talk him down to about $30, purchase the stun gun ("Don't make me regret buying this for you." Says the older guy, probably the dad, to the younger), and get the seller's contact info because he has knives to sell them also!
We take off from Pink's while he's pulling out the first of his knives...
Couple of things first off, how in the world did the seller know to approach this particular family. Was it because they were Hispanic, and if so, what about me? I guess I don't look Chicano enough or whatever, but it struck me as weird. This was also a little disturbing to me, because Pink's isn't exactly in the worst of areas. As a matter of fact, I kind of like where it's situated. On La Brea and Melrose, it's really close to what is a most intriguing part of Los Angeles, fashion-wise and people-wise. It also happens to be just a few blocks away from Golden Apple Comics, one of the pre-eminent comic book stores regionally. I guess no matter where you are, these things happen. Next, I'll probably see a drug bust going down a few blocks away from downtown Huntington Beach.
Anyway, it was a little disturbing, but pretty amusing too. Hawthorne's got nothing on Pink's.
Last night, Grace and I went to Pink's for dinner.
We sit down at a table with our dogs and a man in a suit walks to another table and starts talking to this Hispanic family next to us. He starts asking them if they want to purchase stun guns or pepper spray. 10,000 volts for $35! The family's most interested as one of the guys says, "They use that to initiate guys into the crew." I hear the stun gun buzzing while I'm biting into my "Today Show" hot dog.
They talk him down to about $30, purchase the stun gun ("Don't make me regret buying this for you." Says the older guy, probably the dad, to the younger), and get the seller's contact info because he has knives to sell them also!
We take off from Pink's while he's pulling out the first of his knives...
Couple of things first off, how in the world did the seller know to approach this particular family. Was it because they were Hispanic, and if so, what about me? I guess I don't look Chicano enough or whatever, but it struck me as weird. This was also a little disturbing to me, because Pink's isn't exactly in the worst of areas. As a matter of fact, I kind of like where it's situated. On La Brea and Melrose, it's really close to what is a most intriguing part of Los Angeles, fashion-wise and people-wise. It also happens to be just a few blocks away from Golden Apple Comics, one of the pre-eminent comic book stores regionally. I guess no matter where you are, these things happen. Next, I'll probably see a drug bust going down a few blocks away from downtown Huntington Beach.
Anyway, it was a little disturbing, but pretty amusing too. Hawthorne's got nothing on Pink's.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
LAX Insight
While they have some interesting questions for the mayoral candidates of Los Angeles, the citizens of LA who like to blog are asked about the local airport by LA Blogs. Traveling seems like it was a long time ago, but it was only really a couple of months past. Maybe I'll amend my answers in a month after our trip to Houston.
Anything you like about LAX?
Incredibly close to my apartment, but not so close as the planes crack glass on liftoff, it's the most convenient airport for me.
Anything you hate about LAX?
Traffic at peak hours is awful and the security checkpoints are horribly inefficient. Going there two hours in advance of departure is a must. I don't know how many people run up with only a half hour to departure and cry that they're going to miss a flight. Too bad, grow a brain.
Parking at LAX, any tips/secrets?
Park at the meters if you can. My big parking secret is to take the shortcut to terminal 5 and 7 as often as I can to avoid making the circus trip around the airport. Big whoop. There's also the Parking Spot. Free water on your return trip... yay...
Given the choice, do you fly out of LAX or one of the other Southland airports?
Since convenience can't be beat, I haven't flown out of anywhere else besides LAX in seemingly forever. Long Beach is cheaper, since they carry Jet Blue, but has limited selection with their airlines. Other than that, Orange County cannot be beat for comfort of waiting areas, lack of congestion surrounding the airport, ease of parking, and lack of crowds.
Food finds, are there any, and have you ever tried or wanted to try Encounter?
Eat at the airport? I'll take McDonald's anytime I'm there. Airport food is rank.
If LAX was a region of Los Angeles, what would it be?
What kind of question is this? LAX is just like most of Los Angeles. Some parts are nice, some parts need to be renovated and it's best to watch yourself when traveling through the seedy area.
Did you know that you can't mail anything from LAX? I didn't, until I tried to drop some bills off on the way to a two week vacation in Costa Rica.
There is a 24 hour post office just down the street from LAX, so why bother going to LAX when you know where the 24 hour post office is? Send out mail on time.
LAX Expansion, have you been following it, do you care?
I'm following the expansion to see what happens to the surrounding streets and especially to see what happens with Southern California travel. I don't know where all the money is being spent though, so I'd like to read up on it more.
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