February 2012
5 posts
“I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the...”
– Johnny Depp
RAIN
Comes and goes like the wind blows. It’s still cold! Close your windows but keep your eyes open for the beauty unspoken. Landscapes even Tolkien wouldn’t imagine a Baggins to inhabit.
Seize the moment and grab it like a rabbit out of a hat that you tap and whisper abracadabra like magic.
Do you believe in it?
How can you not when you’re breathing it?
How can you not when it...
Top 2's Day (Ep. 1): Black History Month
I like a good list. More specifically, a good countdown. Top 40 TRL Moments. Top 10 Dumbest Criminals. Top 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 90’s. It’s always a round number, I’ve noticed, ending in either a zero or a five, with the exception being Top 3. Top 3 Favorite Movies (Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, A Clockwork Orange, Pulp Fiction). Top 3 Favorite Books...
GRACENOTES: Week of February 5, 2012
I am Catholic. Baby, I was born this way. No really I was pretty much born into it and raised to follow the faith. But even as I got older and was made aware of the dark sides of my religion, the Crusades and even more unsettling (and disgusting) the stigma of molestation created by wayward priests who buckled down under the pressure of celibacy, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the beauty in the...
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man...”
– Walt Disney
January 2012
1 post
Dangling
I am competitive by nature. So when I see the high score hovering right above me, it becomes the carrot before the donkey. It becomes an obsession to obtain that which I can not reach and I become the jackass chomping away at the thin air before me and while the sane world sleeps and dreams, my mind slaughters the sheep and replaces them with Tetris blocks.
Blocks that fall at random yet fall...
December 2011
2 posts
5 Events That Changed My Life in 2011
NUMBER FIVE: THE COUNTDOWN
New Years Eve 2010 was the first I celebrated away from the family. They flew out to Vegas while I stayed behind to spend it with my now ex-girlfriend Caroline. This was to be our first New Years together. The room was roaring with excitement as we started counting down from ten, this being the first New Years for many other couples in attendance. As luck would have...
How I Became a Potato.
PO-TAY-TO!!!!
Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew!
They say you are what you eat. No one illustrates that point more than me. I love potatos and considering my behavior as of late, I have been just that. A potato, plopped vis a vis the tele in pure tater form: motionless, legless, armless, baked and fried. I don’t do drugs but I might as well.
Jessie and I have...
November 2011
1 post
Pick Your Nose.
I sneezed on my hands. I forget sometimes how utterly disgusting that is, splashing the muck from your mouth and nose across your palms, a Jackson Pollock masterpiece of mucus and boogers. Speaking of boogers, I desperately need to vacuum my truck. Under the driver seat lies an elephant graveyard of dead nose dust piled high, irrefutable evidence of my irresistible urge to excavate the dark, dirty...
October 2011
1 post
Thumbs.
In my truck at a CVS parking lot blasting blink182, all the while sending you a message composed entirely with my thumbs. To have thumbs. It’s a gamechanger really. You can hitchhike. Congratulate someone for a job well done, or commence an execution. You can also give high fives. Without the thumbs they’d only be high fours. Strange huh? Speaking of strange, a cop just parked in front...
September 2011
1 post
Free Write
This write is free. It costs nothing. Zero. Zero as in the number of calories in a Coke Zero. Zero as in my annual income at the moment. That’s write I’m making nothing and yet miraculously, simultaneously, instantaneously I’m making something. Something special. I laid down the tracks, three to be exact, three glorious songs from the heart. Now all’s I gotsta do is ride...
May 2011
1 post
Neil-Denny LIVE @ Lestat's
I did it! I survived the Rapture. It supposedly occurred on May 21st 6 pm Eastern time, the Second Coming of Christ, Judgment Day. I’m sure when Jesus wants to make his great return he will want it to be a surprise, and not so much an event advertised over various billboards that popped up over the Interstate-805. At any rate, I’m still alive, just cause for celebration. As a token of my...
April 2011
1 post
Work, Huh?
Not many people know what I do.
By day I work with pee, at a urine drug testing lab. Most of the pee I work with comes from the elderly, old men and women, many of them dying, who need to be tested in an effort to ensure they are taking the right dosage of medication. Many times, the patients we get, even the really old ones, are taking drugs beyond the prescription: heroin, cocaine, opiates,...
January 2011
1 post
To sleep or Not to sleep.
I woke up coughing again at four o’ clock in the fucking morning, leaving me in that all too familiar conundrum, to sleep or not to sleep. The former gives my body rest, helps to replenish energy and the functionality of all my major organs (don’t be gross). Then again, I run the risk of overindulgence, causing me to completely ignore the constant badgering of my worry wart of an alarm...
November 2010
3 posts
Belle who? There's a New Beauty in Town.
Tangled ****
Rather than your ordinary Once Upon a Time, the story of Tangled starts with a voiceover from Flynn Ryder, our egotistical antihero, warning you that this is a story about how he died. This American Beauty style prologue is a clear indication that although it’s a Disney movie, this story is not without the darkness of Grimm. As Disney’s 50th animated feature film, Disney freaks...
V for Vegas.
A for Alphabet game on the way to Sin City. B for Blackjack Hot Dog Dinner. C for Chain, Chain, Chain, Chain, Ch-Chain Chain Ch-Ch-Ch. D for Dryhumping on top of Len, not with Len mind you. E for Excuse me! Excuse me! Are you one of the Jabbawockeez?! F for Fat Tuesday .44 Magnums. G? Hmmm… I’ll get back to that later… H for Hurricane Simulator. I for Interrupting the Birthday...
Good Morning.
On second thought, make it great. Make this the kind of morning they would portray in a Folgers commercial. Make this the kind of morning that inspires songbirds. They call Wednesday “Hump Day.” Here’s to your orgasm.
September 2010
3 posts
List of Things Will-Do
Positive, positive, positive thinking. The glass is only half empty because I have yet to drop in my shot of Jager. Jager bomb jager bomb jager bomb.
Work out every day, no exceptions. Let the ghost of Michelangelo chisel away at the slab of marble that is my body, and in time (a very, very long time), I will be a walking masterpiece.
Allow for one day of uninhibited ZSHOSHing (includes...
Going the Distance
***
“Going the Distance” is a common tale of boy meets girl, but girl lives thousands of miles away. It’s a surprise that this common tale has not yet been the main premise for a movie, at least not to my knowledge, and they pull it off wonderfully.
Sure the movie is formulaic. They meet in a special way (a game of Centipede at a bar) and run into a conflict (she’s...
August 2010
2 posts
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Scott Pilgrim Wins....
****
The movie opens with an 8-bit recreation of the Universal Pictures company logo, complete with a new rendition of the studio’s fanfare done in nostalgic MIDI format. Ah the good old days of fat video game cartridges that never work until you blow into the microchip slot. For me, this was love at first sight as Edgar Wright (Director, Shaun of the Dead) prepares you for a crazy ride...
CHICAGO Part II: Best Day Ever
Chicago… Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do. And we did pretty much everything. Been about a couple months since I left the Windy City, and I still miss it. I miss the streets. I miss the food… and I miss my dear cousin, sweet-dimpled Darrell…
The following is what went down in the city I can call my birthplace. (technically I was born in Libertyville, which is...
July 2010
1 post
CHICAGO: Part 1 - The First Taste
Chicago… Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothing you can’t do. And we did pretty much everything. Been about a week since I left the Windy City, and I still miss it. I miss the streets. I miss the food… and I miss my dear cousin, sweet-dimpled Darrell…
The following is what went down in the city I can call my birthplace. (technically I was born in...
June 2010
1 post
am/pm
spicy hot dogs, beef hot dogs, red bull, starbucks mocha frap, sour cream and onion ruffles, “bbq rib” sandwich that looks like a used maxi pad stuffed between two slices of old bread… these are the things I am forced to consume on a daily basis because the only thing really within walking distance from my office building is an am/pm.
A few blocks down there’s the deli...
May 2010
3 posts
Final Thoughts on LOST (Spoiler Alert)
The big finale to the epic series was a mean one. They completely avoided answering any of the great mysteries behind the island, and instead chose to pull on our heartstrings to the point of submission and acceptance. After contemplating on the end for almost a week, and I thought hard…
I submit, and I accept.
My instant reaction to the finale was honestly one of disappointment. I felt...
The Vegas.
What does Las Vegas translate to in English? I don’t know and I don’t care. All I know is I want to go to there. And I am!! For all I know Las Vegas directly translates to “The Drunkies.” Because that’s what I intend to be all weekend. For days and days I have slaved away in front of a computer typing volumes and volumes of cock-a-poo. Like an onslaught of Dementors,...
April 2010
2 posts
Lion King Voice-Over @ CA Animation Academy
Neil: Uncle Rob? You're so cute...
Rob: Get off me, stinky.
Neil: But you are so cute!
Rob: You're stupid.
TWO WORDS: TAJIMA TWO
This place never fails to put a smile on my stomach. The Udon is top-notch: preferably with the Original Tajima broth with BBQ pork, thin noodles, and an extra egg. Delicious. There are also a handful of small hot plates worth dabbling in… the Yakitori asparagus wrapped bacon? Fuck yeah… The Grilled Black Cod also leaves you speechless. That’s because you’ll be too busy...
March 2010
2 posts
Sick Days and Orange Wedges.
I spent the past couple days at home due to a severe stomach ache. Sick days were much more fun as a kid. You sit up in bed and play Super Mario all day, a bowl of orange wedges placed conveniently at your bedside table. As you get older, sick days become less common, but more scary. Scary because it’s no longer about orange slices or days off school, and more about avoiding the doctor and...
February 2010
5 posts
The Official Guide to Digadaga Language
Foreword. On Saturday Night, before our incredible show at the Queen Bees (a huge hug and a thank you to all who made it fun for us yet again) we lounged around and had a few beers at the U-31. The subject of inside jokes and their origins came up in our discussion. We again pondered the outlandish notion that after we die, we will get to rewind to all our classic moments and settle once and for...
the belly of the beast
I drank a diet pepsi. Its lasting effects come in the form of egg burps and a mild case of insomnia. I have egg burps because about an hour ago, I had a small plate of my mother’s delicious Palabok and I fucking drowned that shit with chopped up hard boiled egg. For those of you keeping track at home, my belly is stuffed with noodles, whatever it is they put in Palabok sauce (I think...
A World of Color
Like a soft blanket of frost soothing the dry surface of a far and desolate place, a strange urge came over me, illuminating my insides. I felt my heart glow a warm radiant amber. Tonight, I want to watch a Disney movie.
I must confess, this sudden craving for sweet song and dancing color wasn’t entirely out of the blue, or some supernatural transmission sent down from above. Rather, a...
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a...”
– Thorin Oakenshield, The Hobbit
January 2010
1 post
Freewrite Friday
Fingers, pale and ashy, robot-like. Generating information that has not an ounce of any emotional weight. “Welcome to <DEALERNAME>, your source near <CITY> for great <MAKE> cars and customer service.” Ahhhhhhhhhh….. dress me up in leather, gag me, lock me in the basement, and call me the gimp. Unfortunately, this free write session must be cut short. For I am a robot, and between...
December 2009
2 posts
7 tags
The CLINCH Who Stole Christmas #XMAS
It feels like yesterday when the Chargers were sitting on a 2-3 start after a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos. Critics immediately jumped onto the wagon, declaring that the highly anticipated 2009-10 Charger team was a big disappointment. Week 7 rolled around, and the Bolts were forced to shrug off the Denver loss and focused their attention to the KC Chiefs. That day I made my own...
Blah.
I have absolutely nothing to say right now. But I just watched Julie & Julia with Len last night and it made me want to write in you. Wow this is fun. I should start doing this again more often. Look my fingers aren’t stopping! Whoooooa. So liberating. Okay I’ll stop.
Now I won’t.
Okay now. Okay now. Okay now.
Is this real life?
GrrrrrrRRAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
October 2009
2 posts
“Isn’t Disneyland just a people trap operated by a mouse?”
– Things to Ponder Guy on my iGoogle. The answer is yes, and the bait is Turkey Legs. Mmmm Turkey legs.
Wild Gone Wild
Timing- it’s everything. The bloody nick on your cheek as a result of a careless shave, the extra nuzzle you squeeze in for the puppy before you leave for work, a fart, every tiny moment is a falling domino directing you towards an event that can very well change your life, or at the very least create a lasting memory.
Who knew that the deuce that I dropped in a KFC bathroom on the way to the...
September 2009
1 post
Through the Looking Glass.
I heard voices downstairs so I went there to check out the commotion. A party was going on, but not one I expected. Yes, my sister was there, and so were a couple of her friends. Party guests I did not at all expect were three very old ladies, white ones with really white hair and really wrinkly skin, each wearing a sparkly party hat. Even the celebrant was a shock: a little blonde girl who was...
August 2009
5 posts
“If being crazy means living life as if it matters then I don’t care if we...”
– April, Revolutionary Road
Why you should never watch a movie with my dad.
Dad: Have you seen this movie?
DJ: No.
Dad: They all die in the end.
Magical Fantasy, Gotta Have Her
Get your mind out of the gutter! That’s not what I think about before I sleep. Although it would make for one snazzy porn flick title, those are actually the names of the horses I chose to win big at the Del Mar Fairgrounds… Don’t get too excited. I have low standards. Coming up 25 bones after placing a 2 dollar bet is my definition of winning big.
It was Race #8, and I did a $1...
A Little More
Performed by P-Noize
Written by Neil-Denny
(Chorus)
Ooh… A little more
Ooh… A little more
Ooh… A little more
Baby lemme get a little more
Ohh… A little more
Ooh… A little more
Ooh… A little more
Baby lemme get a little more
(Verse 1)
As I step into the room
I don’t know what to do
I feel the bass go
BOOM BOOM BOOM
BOOM BOOM BOOM…
I...
How to Cut a Round Birthday Cake
Mike: Uhh... How am I supposed to cut this? Like a pizza?
Rob: You cut it like a cake, moron.
July 2009
7 posts
(500) Thumbs Up for Days of Summer
*** 1/2*
An opening disclaimer sets the tone for the rest of the movie: ironic and so true. The movie is fun, frustrating, simple, difficult, triumphant, and depressing, much like the nature of any loving relationship. (500) Days of Summer is a traditional love story told in a nontraditional fashion, combining and contrasting over-the-top fantasy with harsh reality. Boy meets girl, girl meets...
Stupid Twitter.
Makes blogging seem so unnecessary and time-consuming…
See? I could’ve just tweeted this.
Heal the World: JLB Live @ ChannelTwelve25
Last night at a cozy little rock venue in El Cajon called Channel Twelve25, the pop punk alternative rock quintet Jack’s Last Bullet graced the stage to put on another high-energy live performance, characterized by manic jumping, hard-hitting vocals, heart-pounding beats, and melodic rock riffs.
As always, the five brave heroes brought their own unique flavor to the show. “Dirty...