Writing

About a month ago, we packed up the shop and moved to Phoenix to pursue a number of number of things. We said goodbye to quite a few good friends and to a city that had been pretty good to us. Oddly enough, every time we told someone in Orlando where we were going, we were constantly met with questions about Arizona's immigration law. Being the offspring of an immigrant myself, you'd think that I have a fervent anti-Arizona statement to share with you.

But I don't.

"Did you hear about how Roger Ebert declared that video games aren't art?"

"Roger Ebert? I thought he was dead."

"No, you're thinking of Siskel."

"Oh, right. I remember now. He was mauled by their tiger in the middle of a performance, right?"

"...Yes."

Being in a relationship involves many serious commitments. In mine, participation in exploratory conversations about the impact of lightsaber possession on the animal kingdom may be one such commitment. This semi-serious discussion was launched by a simple inquiry, "If each member was given a lightsaber, which species on earth would launch the most effective reign of terror?"

Just a few pictures from our recent trip out to Arizona and California. Tina is using a Canon t1i for most of the shots with just a kit lens.

The trip was amazing. I really can't begin to disgrace it with words any more than that. Phoenix, LA, the Bay Area. It's just another world than Orlando. Don't get me wrong, no place has ever felt more like "home" to me than Orlando. I have such an intimate knowledge of the people and places that make Orlando great, as well as the streets that connect them. It's an overwhelming sensation that is difficult to give up.

Everyone whose told me about the book called Getting Things Done use the sentence "it changed my life" somewhere in their description. Some of these same people are mooches that have a fake portfolio and bounce from contract job to contract job. This bohemian-in-denial lifestyle is becoming more and more appealing to me; let me tell you why:

When considering a purchase for something as personal as clothing, there is a pervasive concern that a wrong selection will make you look like "that guy." For any given combination of lifestyle and age group, there are always those on the left side of the box-and-whisker graph that wear their clothes too tight, their brands too loud, their style too forced, and their scene too cli

For reasons I won't get into, I went to Vans Warped Tour twice this weekend: once in Orlando and again in St. Petersburg. I would love to say that there was something worthwhile about each trip, that I got to connect with good music and act my age for one day out of the year. For me, that equates to having a few drinks, shoving people, and putting my long hair to good use.

I spent most of last week throwing up, breaking fevers, and passing loose bowels while watching Top Gear. I decided I should share my favorite moments with you! Early 2000 sports cars, crappy hybrids, are what you'd expect on a solid car shop. But this is Top Gear. Superb photography, artistic edits, and humorous banter are the norm for a production this epic. My good friend YouTube nursed me back to health with a week's worth of 10 minute Top Gear clips. In the 5 posts below, you'll get to see some of my favorite finds—without enduring projectile vomit. Lucky you!

A number of friends and relatives have asked me what my relationship is with http://www.ecoFactory.com. Those who barely know me recognize my aversion to most things eco-friendly, and are confused by the hundreds of items on ecoFactory with my by-line. Did I turn over a new leaf? Did I accept responsibility for my carbon footprint and become a steward of our natural resources, preserving them for future generations?

Not likely.

Woke up, still in a pretty crappy mood. Decided not to attend the Drift event, as the support on SFL drifters and Florida Drift was pretty piss-poor. Went back and forth with Tina for hours, drove out to Mount Dora, and spent a few minutes, literally, on the Race Life project. Maybe some stuffs tomorrow.

In other news, I think the Beachcomber Inn on St. Petersburg Beach may be billing me $50 for a broken lightbulb in the desk lamp that Tina threw at me. Yeah. Story is coming.

Edit: False alarm. I guess I'm just not used to what a bar tab looks like on my debit card.