computers here pretty much freeze up when i connect my camera. sad times... i hope i´ll be able to upload something before i head home in 2 weeks!!! it´s ridiculous! still, the good food, beautiful cities, and nice weather make up for it! (southern chile and argentina are about 30-45 degrees, plus misty rain... love it)!
so we left santiago on thursday and landed in Puerto Montt... such a cool port city where we stayed in a super cool place - Hostal Central, that was really just a super nice cabaña, and they hooked it up for the poor american backpackers! this place luckily had a nice heater in our room and an amazing bathroom, with plenty of hot water and good water pressure! friday night we took a quick ferry (100 yards) over to an island next to puerto montt with a huge cross at the top and caught some awesome views of the city at night, under the brightest stars!
saturday was spent in the isla de Chiloé, in the quaint fishing town of Ancud... where we walked all around the waterfront up to a sweet small church with views of the nearby islands and the rolling green hills, full of beautiful horses and big trees! we topped off the afternoon at restaurante gloria... they had a sweet menu del dia with soup, pork & rice, and some awesome bread all for $4! yum.
sunday we took a micro up to a small town, Frutillar for church. My sister Heidi lived there for 7 months and we got to meet so many of her friends and they all were so glad to talk about her! everybody remembered her as the tall hermana that sang really well, ha. In Frutillar Bajo, there´s a perfect little beach (actually the shore of a lake) that looks out to Volcano Osorno. they´ve recently added a nice new boardwalk and are in the process of building a huge new theater on the water´s edge... still the most shocking part of frutillar is the huge german population living there. they settled the area early on in the 1900´s and have ruled frutillar bajo ever since. they´re pretty snobby and don´t mingle with the other chilenos in frutillar alto. the town is literally split in two, the chilenos up top, and the chilean-germans down on the beach property. even though southern chile has a very strong german/scottish-village feel to it, down in frutillar bajo it literally feels like you were beamed across the atlantic... as we were leaving in the taxi, a huge group of the locals were leaving from their weekly "german club of frutillar" meeting! haha
after an absolutely freezing night in ´cabañas san pedro´ we grabbed our 2nd meal at bona pizza near the bus terminal and headed up to osorno, chile to catch the afternoon bus to bariloche, argentina! the pizza at bona pizza is the most basic and simple pizza you´ve ever seen/tasted, but the particular taste was perfect and hit all the right spots! (bread, ketchup, thick tomato slices, big slices of cheese and ham on top... i think i can actually make it on my own!)
we got into bariloche tonight around 9 and were lucky enough to run into a nice hippy from northern argentina who showed us the cheapest hostel in town... and it turns out to be my favorite of all time! the nice older man at the front desk gave us a 4 bed room, with our private bathroom, 2 heaters, and a view of the lake for $10 a person! breakfast included, free internet, and wi-fi throughout the entire building! (the bathroom even has a bidae next to the toilet!! i guess they like to tailor to the european travelers!)
tomorrow is the beginning of a week long Fiesta de la Nieve here in Bariloche, and we´re stoked to hit the slopes for some nice snowboarding and snowskiing! i can´t wait!!
p.s. i´m really sad we haven´t been able to upload photos... i promise to keep trying!
no.117 the big sur... frio
no.116 sandy aggo!
had you ever realized how similar san diego and santiago sound? hmmm. sketchy.
so we´ve been in santiago for the last 36 hours on the 3 amigos world tour (south america edición)... it´s nice.
so the internet is pretty slow south of the border (every border below sd!) so no pictures tonight, again! sorry... but time is pricey on this trip... we´ve got less than 3 weeks!
heading to puerto montt, chile tomorrow night after 1 more day in santiago... hasta la vista sucker.
no.115 ecuador!!!
ecuador is so much more than i expected! we´ve been all over the coast and now the andes mountains! we landed in guayaquil on sunday evening and toured the whole city on monday with david who´s here on a nursing trip as well as visiting his mom. we couldn´t have come at a better time! the weeks leading up to our trip were full of rain - day and night - but nothing but sunshine and fresh air for us! we left for the coast of ecuador on tuesday morning and got to a nice beach town, salinas by 9am perfect time to get on the jet-skis just as they arrived! we went for about an hour but kyle and i waited on shore for another 30 minutes until david and stacie finally showed up, in a fishing boat, with the jet-ski dragging behind! long story short - their machine was weak compared to the moto kyle and i were riding. haha.
from salinas we left up the ¨ruta del sol¨(route of the sun) to montañita - a small touristy surfing town... so chill! the weather was soo nice and we got some crazy good body surfing in! the hostels were right on the beach and in the coolest sugar cane huts! the majority of the homes outside of the big cities are made of sugar cane and often up on stilts, 10 ft off the ground for the rainy season. the views in the truck and on the bus have been amazing! still, the bus ride last night from guayaquil to cuenca was amazing! we drove through ´cajas´ national park - another breathtaking rainforest, but this time with countless waterfalls and it is 2,500 meters above sea level! we were above the clouds most of the time, and i honestly don´t know how the driver could see... the fog was thicker than ANY fog i´d ever seen. Oh yea, speaking about the bus... it was the nicest bus i´d ever been on. it had these sweet reclining things for our legs, and we watched two martin lawrence movies in spanish, with spanish subtitles (haha Stacie and Kyle)!
well, we went to a natural volcanic hotspring pool and sauna today ... amazing!
all in all, i love ecuador!
p.s. ecuador is on the dollar... literally they use US dollars for their currency, but also make their own coins. funny thing is, they use the US dollar coin here like no other!
p.p.s. i love fresh aguas and jugos!!! thank goodness for south america!
p.p.p.s. will post pictures on sunday once we´re in peru
p.p.p.p.s. those democrats take forever to nominate! geeeee
no.114 nyc r and r
the roomie reunion is going way better than planned! it's the end of day 2 and i feel like we've been here for a week! in the last 48 hours we've eaten too many times to remember, got standby tix to conan o'brien (didn't end up getting in), watched the Yankees kill the Mariners 13-2, re-learned the subway system, played ball at some courts under the bride along the hudson river, played soccer, football, and then after an amazing lunch from Dinastia's Latin-Chinese restaurant we headed over to toss a frisbee in central park (beautiful weather!), and finished our day of competitive sports with a crazy 5 inning game of wiffle ball! i don't have much time, the boys are back at it on the fisher price basketball hoop in kevin's apartment....but i wanted to leave a few pics for your pleasure -
no.113 choir boys
the khula happy singers rock my world.
Khula Happy Singers St. Lucia from Jan van der Meer on Vimeo.
if only the rest of the world were so happy and peaceful!
no.112 call me loco, but
3 weeks from today i will embark on the journey of a lifetime - the 3 amigos world tour (south america edition). in fact, i will have two loyal companions on this journey - kyle and stacie. we're flying to guayaquil, ecuador on june 1st and won't return until july 3rd. we will be 'backpacking' through south america and i'm getting more antsy than ever (despite the fact that my "roomie reunion" in nyc is less than two weeks away)! 
i'm hoping my brother and sister are as stoked as i am, or i just might find myself lugging them around like the peruvian mother pictured above, only i'd have two snotty fatsos to haul on my back.
i'm posting this in an effort to get your responses about cool places you've been in south america, good bus lines to use, specific adventures to seek out, etc. our travels will begin and end in guayaquil, and i'm hoping to follow a circular route from ecuador - peru - bolivia - paraguay - argentina (iguazu falls) - uruguay - argentina (buenos aires) - patagonia - chile - peru - ecuador... besides the obvious adventures (galapagos islands, machu picchu, iguazu falls and the patagonia), i'd love to get some more exploring ideas and travel tips for our benefit...
much love, and kudos to all the moms out there...
if you're a struggling mother, i can put you in contact with the world's best (mine), and she can give you some pointers.
even though i tell you all the time - i love you mom!
::editor's note:: the whole mother's/father's day thing is stupid to me. my mom even thinks it's a joke. it's a day for bad moms and bad people to act like they care, usually they don't talk to each other. good moms have kids who talk to them and treat them right all year 'round.
p.s. thanks to my presence last night, the padres finally won a game. lame-o's
no.111 point n shoot
me | sec.27fd row.h seat.1
yes, that's 8 rows behind joe torre & the dodgers dugout. and yes the dodgers did win that game 5-4. moreover, that sealed a 4-series winning streak for the boys in blue!
blake dewitt | batter's box
this was right before blake hit a 2 run homer to put the dodgers on top, 5-4. blake's a rookie 3rd baseman for the dodgers and i get stoked everytime he's in the action. he was born in 1984 and thus deserves the respect of us here at the 84 suburb, fasho! he fields and throws right-handed and bats lefty... kinda like me. except i only bat left in softball and homerun derby in my backyard with my cousins and brothers. and in case you didn't notice, that's joe torre (first year manager of the dodgers) in the bottom right of the photo. such a presence!
eugene & i | roommates for the 3rd time
anywhere i go with eugene i know i'll be entertained and in good company. we've been classmates since the 3rd grade and have been in probably 90% of the same classes since then, all the way up through college! coming to ucsd was partly a decision based on rooming with eugene in the dorms freshman year and we did everything together in those oh-so-vulnerable dorm days! i'm sad to know that our time together as roommates here in our la jolla shores beach home is coming to an end in under 3 weeks!! 
nate, gary, pedro, eugene | dodger stadium, field level
it seems everything i do these days is with my roommates - past, present, and future (last month i snowboarded with chase, a roommate from the mtc, and with brendon, a future roomie in slc). nate and i lived in crossroads apartments last year and in the beach home this year. gary and i lived together for the summer after freshman year, along with chairman yau - really gary lived in the family room while jason and i had the master bedroom. ha. he's busy at work, co-owing an electrical engineering firm in the pharmaceutical industry. eugene and i have too much history to share in this caption.
dodger dog | dodger stadium
after i caught my breath and cleared my throat from the post-win celebration, we decided it was a good time for a photo shoot of the gang. we walked a few rows down and looked around for someone to snap a nice group peekchuh and this chick was all for it, and even decided to snap one of herself before she took ours. ha
classic lowrider | melrose ave. only in LA.
i love these bikes, soon i'll own one (along with my scooter). what's that you ask.... will mine have a banana seat and chopper handlebars? why yes, yes it will. maybe with a little extra sparkle in the paint. randal, my coworker at school for the past 18 months, and I were cruising home through downtown melrose/hollywood when we were stuck in some street traffic and i almost rear-ended a guy thanks to this beaute. it was after a 13 hour day at paramount studios for our family carnival and charity auction (the capstone to a 60 hour work week for me), so i was desperately looking for some distraction to the craziness in my head. coincidentally, yesterday we finally sent off all the payment stuff to the bank, and today began the shipping process, and needless to say i'm relieved to be working 8 hour days and have the pressure off my back!
kidrobot toys | randal's desk
of course there are few random toys left over from the children's goodie-bags from our event so thuan, randal, and i decided to begin collecting. this is just a small glimpse of what we've collected thus far, and it will be going on my wall in slc with my old "toy machine" figurines i bought junior year of high school, my mitt romney bobblehead, and my lucha libre action figure i bought in jalisco, mx last year. these new toys are made by kidrobot who does all kinds of trendy, upscale toy collectibles for famous artists and even bands with a tv show (yo gabba gabba - by the aquabats)
a good friend here in SD just invited me to a padres game tomorrow, versus the rockies. both teams are in the western division with the dodgers and they both suck, so i'll probably rock my LA gear and root for the away team, what do you think?
no.110 back at it
so, i've got a new camera now, and that means you can all feast your eyes on my day to day experiences. join me... take a walk on the wild side.
so as i noted in the temporary post that resided here under no.110 for a few days, Burma is recuperating from an absolutely horrible cyclone. but i had to ask myself; what in the crap is a cyclone? don't worry, i googled it. and when i say i googled it, i really mean i went to my google search bar in the upper-right of my firefox window and typed 'cyclone wiki' - now, you may ask yourself why the crap i'd type that. simple, wikipedia replaced my public education. depending on their location and strength, there are various terms by which cyclones are known, such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm and tropical depression. (in fact, if you're crazy enough, you can even get a wiki search bar add-on with firefox, or a dictionary search bar, or a you-tube sb, or a flickr sb, and yes even an ebay sb!...yes, i have all of those). 
on to the more serious part... i hate dictators. on top of that, i hate dictators who are scared of "the west!" the united states (encompassing all its ngo's and non-profits) along with many other democratic nations have extended a helping hand at this severe time of tragedy and loss, mostly in medical supplies, food, water, and even cold hard cash. how does burma react? "we want aid, not foreigners." oh sure, shun the hand that feeds you. how lame can their leaders be? that's like the jew despising the good samaritan that saved his life. these dicators fear that by receiving foreign aid, their people will view "westerners" as good, and consequently the western governments as such. i understand their logic, but that's some serious weakness on their part. either way, aid is reaching people in need and that's what matters. still, why must we be referred to as "the west?" we're the united states of america, and "the west" has way much less of a superhero ring to it. can't we file for a name change?
speaking of superheroes.... the 30 or so annual sungod festival is next weekend here at ucsd and one of my favorite bands will drop it like it's hot right here on my campus! (yes, sungod festival has its own wikipedia page, can your alma matter boast that?)
my first real concert i ever went to was in the 7th grade with my new and first bro-in-law, brandon. he took me to see the aquabats open for blink-182 when blink was first hitting the radio, or even before. at least i hadn't heard of them, and i was in junior high - prime time for blink 182! i screamed and sang along thru the whole aquabat set, overflowing with on-stage villain v. hero battles and crowd chanting.... but brandon had to escort me out with my eyes covered during blink's set once girls began to throw their unmentionables at the band. (no, i'm not putting a pic up of that)
no.109 all apologies
i guess graduating from college wasn't as much as i hyped it to be. i'm still just as busy, thanks to an immigration research project i'm working on with professor cornelius. i agreed to fill a vacancy in their economics & remittances chapter for an upcoming book on the effects of migration on the sending community of san miguel tlacotepec, oaxaca. at the time, back in november, i only thought of the fun i'd have for 2 weeks doing the actual surveying and field work and didn't think too much about the actual researching, data analysis and writing the chapter with my team members. well, now it's kicking me in the butt. some of you might know i worked on a similar project last year, dealing with tlacuitapa, jalisco (another migrant sending community in mexico), and this year it's pretty similar, but i have a lot less time than i did last year. my job is now 40 hrs a week (same place i was working during school, just upped my hours), and that tires me out a whole lot more than i had imagined. getting home at 5, all i want to do is eat, watch an mlb or nba game and veg out. instead, i'm stuck up late tracking down census data from awkwardly set-up websites from mexico's government, and trying to prove the causal relationship of migration with inequality. grrr. so, there you have it: my excuse for not blogging in such a long time.
in my absence, i've also been busy outside of work and research. our basketball team finished 2nd place in our san diego region tournament, i went on a date, went to my cousin's wedding ("decorated" his car before they took off after the reception) and went snowboarding with a few mission buddies. all good times, but i'm really looking forward to my real vacation this summer to south america with my lil bro and lil sis.... it's gonna be ridiculous! oh yea, and i'm still super stoked for sausage fest '008 coming up memorial day weekend out in NYC (college roommate reunion), it's gonna be off the hook! so far we have tickets to the Yankees game versus the Mariners, a takashi murakami art exhibit, and we'll be balling it up in rucker park!!
i promise to be more myself after this weekend's over - our big charity auction / family carnival at paramount studios is gonna be a ton of fun, but these last few weeks leading up to it are out of control and busier than ever (better than being bored at work, i guess).
mitt bobble-head | a gift from stacie's roommate on my recent trip to ut.
currently listening to: jimmy eat world - here it goes
no.108 triangle lips
in all the hustle and bustle, i forgot to update you on my new niece!
:: audrey eve | 8lbs. x 11oz. x 19in. ::
no.107 a few fresh ones
:: click the image for details on the snow report at brighton ::
it fell just in time. about 8 inches of fresh snow just landed and i land in 36 hours to eat it up!
:: brendon & the picasso windbreakah; april '07 | this is the clown i'll be on the slopes with ::
i'm stoked for this weekend up in slc. i'll try to meet up with as many of my amigos as possible, but it's always a crazy time in the beehive state.
no.106 sitting, waiting
i finished my lame little tax return tonight. technically i didn't even have to file my taxes still, because i had nothing in the no.9 box, "advance eic payment." nice.
but what's with that little box they ask you to check - "presidential election campaign fund"??? i thought it was an easy way for the tax prep company to donate lots of money to the candidate of their choice, but then i saw it on another site, so i trusted the box, but didn't check it!
it read; do you want to designate $3 to a fund that provides campaign money to presidential candidates?(wtf!) there's actually a lot more i want to say about this crap-tastic subject right now, but am going to get my fitness fix for the day playing some ball with my roommates.
next topic. what's the big deal with skinny ties? i swear they've been uncool since i was forced to wear one a few sundays a year back in the day (early nineties). now for the past couple of years they've been making a comeback. i'm still not sure how i feel about the whole situation.
:: big guy rockin' a skinny tie. | verdict: undecided ::(this guy does score extra points for that stache & those lenses, though)
obviously the trend-setter here is truly unknown, as in i don't know what guys decided to start wearing them again... but one day somebody else noticed it and then a little while later they happened to be dressing justin timberlake for a photo shoot for his latest album and concerts, and voila - it was back. are we really that easily swayed? all we need to be convinced that something is cool again, is to see someone we don't even know wear it on a big screen? i guess we are. but so far, i'm not. i'm still waiting. maybe i'll just wait until they're not cool anymore, and then try it out. my biggest reservation is the hideous designs most of them have, and the horrible fabric the majority of them are made from. still, i can appreciate the plain, plaid, and striped ones.
lastly, i recognize my blog has been pretty boring lately (minus the last post) due to a lack of fresh pictures. the reason being some unknown black hole in bakersfield that ate my camera. i've been waiting for it to pop up, but i'm an impatient boy. i purchased a new canon powershot elph yesterday and am pretty much biting my nails off waiting for it to arrive! it should be here on thursday, just in time for my weekend trip to salt lake. i'll be back on monday night, hopefully full of new pictures. in the meantime, i'll find someway of getting fresh material up here. everything's just more fun when i can snap a photo to explain myself. i shop too much.
no.105 welcome to the dub club
1988. when i found out bertha would soon be in our home, my 3½ yr. old mind could only muster up two mug shots of what this could mean.
lucky for my parents, my briefly-limited imagination erred, and instead this one came home;
i guess, that's a lucky one for my little sis, bertha, as well. still, i feel the luckiest of the bunch was myself. imagine trying to be the big brother to one of the hawks i imagined was coming home! thanks bertha... i appreciate how easy you made it for me to protect and stand up for you. you've always been ahead of the class (front row, if ya know what i mean) and ahead of trendy styles (see photo above). muchas gracias.
now, for a more serious birthday tribute. i remember those days you danced on the fireplace of the family room to ursela's "body language" song - don't worry, i'll spare us the visual. you've read more books than i have pages, but how could you fail - you teethed on nancy drew and scoffed at my goosebumps "chapter books", while lapping me plenty of times in that 'read-a-round-the-world' thing at thorner. thanks for sharing all those personal pan pizzas you scored at pizza hut (....not). just a small foresight as to why i always knew you'd get into your program this year - you've had your mind set before most girls at your school had decided which boy they'd ask to be assigned as their home teacher knew what a major meant. well done, there's more success down that road for sure.
you're twenty. so what. what are your plans now? make it to twenty-one? i doubt it. in fact, i'm somewhat scared of the big changes coming in the next year. i don't really think i have much say in what they are, but be sure to include me and i'll be there to support you. much love, and kudos to twenty years of one-upping everyone.
*editor's note* for the record; bertha's just an old nickname.... or else i'dve lost the battle a long time ago.
no.104 true blue + some true blues
i'm so excited for the change in seasons; surfing, soccer, basketball playoffs, march madness final four, no school, and a brand new baseball season.
i bought a new book last night and started it today, well i proof read quite a bit from jackie robinson's chapter on passion in borders before i bought it, but i actually began from the prologue today. steve garvey's book, "my bat boy days," is already going down in my 'must have on your bookshelf' collection. the book is about steve's early excitement with baseball as a young boy in brooklyn and tampa. he was a pre-season bat boy for the brooklyn dodgers thanks to his dad's post-war job as a greyhound bus driver who got the odd shift of driving sports teams from the airport to their games (wait... is there still time for me to switch careers). steve, a future dodger himself, and soon-to-be-hall-of-famer, writes about the lessons he learned as a boy at the feet of his baseball idols (i.e. passion of jackie robinson, faith of sandy koufax and leadership of pee wee reese). i'll let you know about the lessons i learn, and give you a full review some time later.
i feel it was a good buy, considering yesterday was opening day for the dodgers in los angeles. they completely annihilated the san francisco gigantes (rip barry) 5-0 at home on opening day *grins*.
i'm about to head out to a basketball game that i'm super stoked for, simply because our team has awesome team chemistry and a really tough defense... we always have fun and had our first loss last thursday. tonight we're after our revenge.
before i go, i felt i had to leave you with some sad news that's been bothering me all day, and i feel i can only move on if i "blog-it-out"...
i got my grades back today, and although i told you all that i graduated last week, i'll be signing up for a class tonight for spring quarter. i guess skipping 18 out of my 20 lectures for biology wasn't a good idea, and i guess those 10 sections i missed might have helped too. all in all, a 'no pass' pretty much means i screwed myself over, and have to take the class again this quarter to graduate. paying half a quarter's tuition for one stupid class i could have aced last quarter with a little more effort.
those two letters, np, never looked so evil. (click to zoom)
*on a side note* i've decided whom i'm backing for the upcoming presidential election (i know, it's not really that soon... but the media covers it like it's gonna happen today)!
*p.s.* remember, anyone can post a comment or complaint...
no.103 dino daze
dinosaurs are quite the ambiguous creatures. they lived where ever they wanted, ate what they pleased and left their remains in mysterious countries, like secret buried treasures, so we could drive across the country in our 11mpg hummer 4 billion years later. thanks guys.
however, there are other (more important) reasons why i esteem dinos.
- denver the last dinosaur - amazing cartoon that battled the oppressive stereotypes buried in 'the flinstones.' actually, i loved this cartoon! watched it before school most of the time or right after i got home. denver's love of skateboarding, rock'n'roll and awesome shades made him my favorite! need a reminder?
- dinosaur fruit snacks - i always seemed to save the white ones for last (a habit i carried over into the white shark of the sea animal fruit snacks)
- dinosaur bed sheets and comforter - tyler and i rocked these for years and years. in fact, i'm pretty sure we even had matching drapes and rugs at one point. well, years of wetting the bed and intense indoor forts have ruined the legacy of the dinosaur sheets. =(
- the dinosaurs - glamorous tv show from the 90's. did you know they had their own parodies built into the show's fake tv shows that the dinosaur kids watched? (gotta love me! haha)
- land before time (1 through 11) - this goes without saying, but who can deny the greatness of these epic films? there are so many great lessons of friendship, loyalty, honesty, courage, and personal growth... you'd think it was a church video. did you know spielberg produced it?! oh yea, and it first came out in '88... before stacie and kyle were born! haha
the truth is...my childhood wouldn't have been the same without 'em!
for the record, my favorite dinosaur is the
*editor's note* you can now easily receive updates by email when i post. look at the right sidebar below the blog title. now you'll always know when you can 'get your fix' at the 84suburb. enjoi.
no.102 a medley
i haven't decided yet. -- i post these for 4 reasons.
- to show that i'm thinking about my vote in november.
- i know hilary's lost. it will be obama v. mccain in november.
- some of these videos are simply good music.
- some of these videos are for comic relief.
in all reality, i haven't decided yet.
on another note,
*as a side note* anyone and everyone can post comments on this blog. you do not have to be a blogger, a member of blogspot,
no.101 <-- i never took one
well, happy campers... i made it. the week is through and i've settled into relax mode. perfect. what's that you ask? oh, this week.... yea it was finals week. but i trashed 'em (in a positive way). i mean, come on... i've done it 12 times already, i think i can make it through my last finals week at ucsd just fine. AHA! YES! that's right, i finished school yesterday and could not be happier! it's so nice to have that feeling of accomplishment come over you at 2am on friday morning as i proofread my final paper to turn in for prof. magagna's class on the political development of the modern state in europe! i literally was about to jump out of my chair and dance through my apartment until i remembered it was 2am and my neighbors wouldn't as excited as i was. lame-o's. so, i'm officially a bachelor of the arts in economics and political science (with a minor in international migration studies). *grins*
yay for mom and dad with the happy grad!
so wait, i thought i already was a bachelor!??? i don't remember waking up with a girl at my side the rest of this week. today was not unique. where the snot did bachelor come from anyway? (bachelor: a young knight in the service of another knight in feudal times) (like how undergrads help out in graduate students research, and also PhD doctors' research)
and back to the interesting stuff. I really really hope this guy continues to blog. i stumbled upon his blog by randomly browsing on blogspot by clicking that 'Next Blog' button on the top left (that i've cleverly removed from my blog).
"invincible kyle" seems like he'd have some pretty funny commentary on world events and things that happen to him (yes, maren... kind of like you). he just started a few days ago and i feel like he might have a completely fresh view on life that could further benefit me in achieving a "well-roundedness" i strive for. most people don't usually succeed in this "rounding-out" effect post-graduation, however I intend to do so in terms of educating myself and exploring as much as I can - not sitting around, watching american idol just because i have the time now, but never did during my 4 years of university.
hey! remember the sartorialist? yes, that long post i did a few weeks ago, letting you all in on a little bit of my fashion fetish. well, he's in india as of late, and is basically posting some stylin' shots of great fashion out there in new dehli! ha, check it out if you've got some time.
so i surfed yesterday, after a rather long hiatus due to my lack of love for cold water and wind (and yes, that lack of love grows deeper when the two are combined in an evil and dirty duo). still, it felt so good to be in the waves and ride the little wash there was. i'm stoked for the spring to really kick in now and live it up while i can!
:: scripps beach. la jolla, ca ::
:: scripps pier. la jolla, ca ::
( should i really move away from this? somebody slap me. )
this is where i surf most of the time (just south of blacks beach. i would surf blacks only, but rarely have the time to). but you've gotta check out this photo collection on flickr of scripp's beach and pier!
lastly, a great friend of mine - sarah thrasher (who leaves for a mission in belgium soon) recently introduced me to a new band. the fashion. they rock. pop electronic/dance. very fun stuff. give 'em a listen. and then don't forget about architecture in helsinki while you're at it. culturing yourself in new music is always a blessing. i promise.
*now if you're still reading, you might be wondering what the post title had to do with any of that - don't worry, i saved this for you. you know how all movies with college scenes show kids in psychology 101, or biology 101, philosophy 101, etc... well, in all my classes at ucsd, i never once took a class with the cliche "101" numbers. i'm so proud of that too! ha.
and now a sneak peak into a future post in the near future.
no.100 dot com - now that's legit!
welcome to www.84suburb.com! didn't notice? look at your address bar. booyah! it's legit, it's official, and it's done with steeze! it's been in the works for quite some time now, and with all the hustle and bustle of finals, i didn't think i'd get around to it before spring break. psscch!
100th post?! I feel it's a worthy milestone to look back on the past 100 posts and capture a little over a year of blogging.
- the 'most' of the past 100.
- most commented post: classic style
- most controversial post (it's a tie): Blog-ability (also referenced in post 99) and Ethnicity is such an odd thing.
- most heartfelt post (a 3-way tie): a texas i know, man of the house, and double the nickels.
- most viewed post (another tie): happy valentine's day, mom and my secret goals in life
- most interactive post: for kicks (thanks for your help!)
- most proud of post: see most heartfelt post
- most sad post: may God bless
- most whiney post: freedom
- most linked site: BBC News (sorry, it's my homepage)
- most loyal commenter: darbleyg
- most influential reader: chairman yau
- most liable reader: the brown's (blame them, they made me start)
Now, a look back at my blog header artwork...
blog header #1. baby steps.
blog header #2. creative juices flowing.
blog header #3. still a work in progress - but at least we're past puberty, right? monster stache!
no.99 chatter box.
jason and i are pretty back and forth lately, trying to set up a trip to nyc to visit kevin and jimmy. turns out, we're both free as foosh this may. gotta take advantage of the down time, right? we're still trying to get spencer and eugene out there as well. i really hope all goes as planned, it's been way too long since we've all been in the same city! (nyc, sf, sd)
here's a little clip of some chit-chattin today. jason was on aim, jimmy on gchat, and i was on both simultaneously (thanks to the high-capability excellence of gmail's embedded gchat and aim). jason (chocolate jky) and I were trying to get him (Jimmy H) to log in to aim through gchat. poor jimmy was struggling. at least he was nice enough to chat with jason...through me. i just copied and pasted for the two of them. my favorite part is jason making reference to a super old post from my blog.
what did i tell you? finals don't phase me. (haha - i'm screwed if i keep this up).
editors note: I don't need luck on finals. I study - but I did wear green today for pete's sake. :)
no.98 but just as fresh.
don't expect too much out of me this week... i have 3 finals and am sure i'll post something one day this week, but i'm just being honest and upfront with you.
i did, however, want to steer you in the direction of laughter (while I am unable to supply you with it), by giving you the link to my favorite blog - well, one of them. It's a little racy (sp?), but all in good fun. "stuff white people like" will have you laughing out loud at yourself, or those whiteys you know oh, too well. don't be ashamed if you fit the stereotype a little too well. i suggest starting at post #88 and working backwards, then reading the most recent two, just so you can get through the greatest hits before reading todays post (trust me, you'll catch a lot more of the jokes that way). However, before I leave, i just wanted to leave you with a list of some of the "stuff white people like," that I seem to be guilty of; t-shirts, musical comedy, threatening to move to canada, being the only white person around, mos def, public radio, indie music, arrested development, colbert report, having two last names, film festivals) - check it out, and report back what you're guilty of...
no.97 i want to go outside already
life can be monotonous at times. mine's not.
time change.... daylight is saved, once again!
hooray for the politicians who saved our daylight! (my beach house rocks)
i'm in the process of finishing an outline with my co-authors for our chapter in another upcoming book on immigration. our chapter deals with migration's effect on the local economy (agriculture, remittances, investment, hometown associations, inequality, poverty, and infrastructure). i'm excited to be writing about this theme again, because we'll be taking a different approach on it all. also, we 3 work well together. the "puzzle" we'll be addressing this year is; "How is migration working to address the transition between the traditional agrarian economy and a new market economy in the rural agricultural region of San Miguel Tlacotepec, and what do we see as the current effect of migration on the SMT economy?"
do you ever think about being in the olympics? i used to, growing up. not so much anymore. i did yesterday.
my little brother, Kyle, is officially a miniature adult. he finally got his drivers license this weekend. It's been such a long and drug-out process, the Bakersfield Californian (our hometown newspaper) even included him in a recent article. The article talks about how teens these days aren't as crazy about getting their license as teens of the 90's. silly.
i grew up with 3-wheelers, dirt bikes, and 4-wheelers. in recent years i've wanted a Yamaha YZF-R6, then I wanted a scooter with no insurance payments and no need for a license (i.e. under 50cc). now i want this. what do you think?
grant is selling it... but i doubt it'll be available this summer (when i have the money to buy it).
so brad's got this hilarious site called passiveagressivenotes.com that is actually quite entertaining... and it led me to find this Flickr album with all the stuff compiled. classic. haven't we all had someone like this at our office? hope it wasn't you...
i've heard some good quotes in the last few weeks. mostly they're just more clear and concise renditions of thoughts i've had in the past.
- "It is one thing not to doubt a thing, and another to be certain of it." Spinoza, The Ethics.
- "Don't let school get in the way of your education."
- "The present is pregnant with the future" Leibniz.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about my summer plans, traveling with my lil sis. i hate hearing about people's pseudo-travels to some lame vacation spot. in my pondering, this thought came to mind. i guess i can quote myself, too.
- "to travel, is not to go somewhere new. to travel, is to discover something outside yourself - to appreciate it, and let it broaden your mind."
P.S. my blog-tarded friends jimmy b. and jimmy h. finally made new posts. check em out.
no.96 double the nickels. double the fun.
as i think back, rowing through my brain on a creaky old gondola, there's this certain guy that seems to pop up at the most random points. occasionally he's there shouting at me when i'm running really hard, other times he's laughing at me or laughing at someone with me. i have these really weird memories of this guy making me do the worst manual labor possible, while he had some high-tech tool to help in his task. and believe it or not, this guy pops up at christmas time, when the check's due at rosemary's- i even have a memory of him pulling a gun on me (or something like that). this guy, is none other than - Steven W. Nichols, Attorney at Law (my dad's name is not Steven, yet my friends love to call him by that long title just for kicks). Dad has always been there for me... honestly. I cannot remember a time when he was OK with me going on a sleepover at my friend's house, going out of town for a road trip, or even simply hanging out with friends on a friday night... he rarely tolerated it. he was there to protect me. right? i mean, that is what he was supposed to do, isn't it? hold on, your dad LET you do those things? what? and he didn't make you "earn" it by digging countless holes in the rock-hard stuff he called "dirt" in your backyard? wait... you mean if you asked him for money he gave it to you without checking if you emptied the trash and fed the dogs? pssch! some bum of a dad you had!
I am so glad to be old enough to realize that all you do/did for me Dad, is for my benefit. My love of the Dodgers is due to all those super fun games he took us to, and my love of the outdoors and "extreme-like" activities is also a product of his hefty hand of love (i.e. dirtbikes, quads, cliff-jumping, skiing, deep-sea fishing, hunting, etc). Soccer games, orchestra concerts, scout campouts, swim meets, the shooting range, or the dirtbike track - you've always been there (with Mom of course... and who cares if she was the only one awake. you made it, right?) You have always gone the extra mile to give this California kid, an old fashioned Mid-West upbringing... and i couldn't be more satisfied! Daily chores, Saturday morning yard work... and don't you forget the trash cans to the curb! 
This year even marked the return of the boat! our family trips to Vegas for wild cliff-jumping and insane tubing are back again! I think it's about time he gets a little recognition for the fine-tuned institution he created and managed - The Nichols Institute of Hard-Knock Life (think correctional compound). However, the one thing you will not learn to do at the NIHKL (nichols...hmm), is how to be a lame-o. Dad, I am so glad you're 55... (as opposed to 75), because that means i'm still young and able to follow in your footsteps for quite some time. I hope you realize how awesome your example has been to me. I'll try to give you plenty of gifts as I "grow up," and will hopefully be able to go to all of your soccer games, swim meets, orchestra concerts, and bingo tournaments as you are still growing up.
55 is young, old man... live it up!
yea, he's a sucker for little animals (especially stray babies birthed in our bushes).
...and steroid juicing mice (aka toy chihuahuas)
maybe he likes babies so much because they remind him of little dogs and kittens! HA.
only Dad got the memo about what the color scheme was for the day. (told you he was fashionable)
pretty daring for a 55yr old, right?
Hey, Spence! It's your birthday too... I hear you got a bike and another Batman suit... live it up buddy, I love you! I'll see you in a few weeks!
Dad, you're in Vegas this weekend for yours and Spencer's birthday... PLEASE don't waste away my inheritance! much love.
no.95 who's that around the corner?
oh it's just that time of year again when I remember why I love san diego and la jolla so much (spring)! this monday i chilled a couple hours at the beach to get some sun and write some letters that were way over due.
the waves at scripps haven't been too great during the time i have free, and the water is still cold, but the weather in la jolla is beautiful! i'm trying to start a routine of running for 20 min every morning, which so far i am 1 for 3 this week. i'm feeling good about
thursday, though. thursdays are full of possibility! tonight i had dinner with some friends with the new couple missionaries who live above the institute across from ucsd. we played a really fun game where you try to complete these old sayings. hard to explain, but a good laugh. the food, cooked by sister holdaway, was absolutely amazing. then after dessert and another game i took off to get golden spoon (a little frozen yogurt that's sort of famous 'round here). all in all, a good evening to end a pretty average day of work and class. well, if i hope to keep my "habit" up, of running 20 min each morning, i better hit the hay.
in the meantime, enjoy this picture of one of my Christmas presents that i'm still getting use and enjoyment out of today! (it's small, but just click it to enlarge)
To: Uncle Peter ... From: Sammy "McTinkle-pants" Doxey & Warren "The Deuce"
thanks guys, i'll be sure to pay your fathers back.
p.s. welcome to my new look!
hope you like it... cuz this blog is all about you.
and check out my lil sis, Stacie... all hipped out in her shades (awfully similar shades stace ... i like your style!)(no i did not misspell her name, that's her nickname)
no.94 classic style, i heart you.
Those of you who know me beyond the realm of my blog, understand (or are at least aware of) my fetish with neckties. For those of you who don't; I have over 100 neckties hanging in my closet, color coordinated (and I love to sport cardigans, sweaters and sweater-vests). These 100+ neckties represent a lot more to me than a simple fashion accessory, but that's neither here nor there. However, as a fashion accessory I see neckties as a simple, classy, and clear way to state your attention to detail. There are so many different colors for neckties and their combinations, that can deeply reflect your mood for the day, or how you are addressing the current situation for which you've dressed up. There is so much that goes into the actual knot of the necktie which many ill-advised men don't even realize (those in need of help, see link at bottom of post). Whether it's the Windsor, half-Windsor, Pratt, Nicky or Four-in-hand, the wearer must pay attention to the pattern and material of the necktie, so as to avoid making an incorrect knot for the specific necktie at hand (In the late 1990s, two researchers, Thomas Fink and Yong Mao of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, used mathematical modeling to discover that eighty-five knots are possible with a conventional tie). Beyond the characteristics of the necktie itself, one must consider the cut of the collar with which the necktie is being worn. There are oxford, point, tab, spread, eyelet, club, button-down, varsity, tony and many other specific types of collars on dress shirts, but the important point is to match the material of your necktie to the cut. For lack of time, I'll just recommend that if your dress shirt has a very slim opening for the tie, go with the half-Windsor. Based on the look you want, if you have a spread or oxford cut on your dress shirt, go with a Windsor or Pratt (however, at times the half-Windsor can look powerful in a wider spread collar). There is more to be said about the length and dimple of the necktie, but I will leave that for another post (tip of the wide end touches the top of your belt, and dimples are powerful & classy if done right, yet horrible when not).
This small fetish may have been kicked into high gear while serving my mission in Texas, but it is something that I've payed attention to since I was a boy. Wearing a necktie to church every Sunday has given me much experience with good, bad, and horrible renditions of their patterns, knots, and lengths. Funny as it may seem, my love of sporting a necktie may or may not have had an influence on my choice of careers. Consultants get to dress very professionally and I have always loved watching a well-dressed business man walk through the airport or down the street. One man I've always enjoyed checking out (in a GQ sort of way) is my Dad. His shirts are always pressed so perfect, the length of his necktie is always spot-on for the most part, and his shoes always match his belt (a whole other story). However, I have yet to be able to convince my Dad of the benefit of minimalist patterns, and the importance of the stitched- silk necktie in comparison to the print-silk ones he prefers. Of course this attention to detail in men's fashion also extends to the number of buttons on a suit, the type of vest, sweater, or sweater-vest worn underneath, and also over-coats. As bad as it seems, I often find myself critiquing most women's choice of dress. I can honestly say that this trait has mostly come from my Dad and his strong attention to detail in every aspect of life. Whether it was gardening, dusting, or digging a hole... he always knew the correct and most efficient way. A lot of the time I didn't agree, only to find out he was right later on, but I know there were a few things in the past that I've come up with better and more efficient ways, but I'll save you the boring details. Thanks Dad, I love you.
Now, the inspiration for this post. I like to read blogs on a variety of subjects including sports, politics, photography, art, travel, and fashion. Although I'm not a daily reader of any certain blog (other than my sisters'), I always catch up with every missed post on The Sartorialist, and today was most pleased with the photo below. Scott Schuman travels the world, documenting daily on his blog with photos of everyday people with an exceptionally nice understanding of style, class, and simplicity. 
This woman photographed on the street of Grand Palais, Paris captures these three simple principles - style, class, and simplicity, with every part of her ensemble... down the gray hair. I love the clean cream jacket with wood closures, and the fact that she's wearing a skirt and high boots. This woman must be at least 65+, but she is clearly in-the-know when it comes to style (far better than women half her age). Her cleverly discrete scarf has just enough color to let you know she's not bland, and her lip-stick seals the deal. However, the cherry on top is nothing more than her natural hair color. I noticed very early on in my life that the women I was most attracted to, had natural hair. Not only color, but style. If a girl straightens her hair every day, what does that say about how comfortable she is with her curls? If a girl is constantly dying her hair or adding any false element for more than a day (i.e. accessory) I think she's uncomfortable with her appearance, due to some misconceived construct she's absorbed from lame "fashion" magazines she browsed at the grocery check-out line. If you're curly, let it curl. If you're brown, leave it. I understand you've gotta have a change every now and then... but try just doing it for a day, and not making it a habit. Your natural hair color and everything else about you is who you are. Your skin color is just how you should be (if you happen to get darker because of a sport or other natural consequence, that's fine). Let's not get me started on make-up and that dark alley have of hell-worthy mishaps! Just remember this woman when you think about fashion... there are no brand names flashing in this ensemble, and the colors/patterns are nothing but simple (however I do love a crazy mix of colors and patterns every now and then). I'm sure you're 100% bored and confused at why you just read such a long post about fashion on my blog. However you can now say you've learned something today. If not about me, about yourself. I know it's a well known fact, but why must the French and Italians simply kill us in fashion, of our general public (and politicians)? I hope you don't mistake my preaching for fashion perfection. I am not a self-proclaimed fashion guru and rarely dress as classy as I'd like, but I'll be there soon (and I can't wait). Sometimes I even ponder moving to a really cold place just for an excuse to wear more layers, overcoats, sweaters, vests, scarves, and gloves.
*warning to future wife: I may have more to say about our wedding than you'd expect.*
Editor's Note: If you can't tie a tie or want a quick chuckle, check this out: Tie-a-Tie.net.
no.93 pause the disco. it's time to breathe
that's right... i turned in my 2 final midterms of my undergraduate career today. what a relief! still, it's only a 2 week long relief, and then i'll dress-up again for the final disco. finals week finale, the end of it all! ha. it just feels good to say that, even though it's 3 weeks premature.
LOST was ridiculously amazing, intriguing, and flat out entertaining tonight! for once some real answers come, and of course new questions are introduced. what would LOST be without new questions and half-answered old ones? i cannot explain to you how creative these writers are! i actually caught myself thinking about a time in the future when i'd sit my kids on my lap and tell them a story about LOST. maybe i should be teaching them stories of the prophets or the saints. however, i feel LOST will take the place of mother goose at least, and i'll teach my eldest to play that crazy LOST jingle on the trombone so everyone's heart races as the story ends. ha.
my next topic in this uber-random post tonight, i address the creepiness of many middle-aged men. let's go beyond the unattractive mustache (no... not mine. mine's attractive and you know it), and beyond their nasty style they've kept since they got married, or last divorced... i'm referring to their undying fetish with calling their female coworkers or younger girls, by some romantic name, in an effort to feel tough, manly, and like an authoritative figure (i guess). Way too often I hear the words "Honey", "Cutey", "Sweety" or some other creepy name. That's SICK! seriously, when did you ever get a license to be that creepy? my mustache didn't come with those privileges, and i'm willing to bet yours didn't either. they're not your daughter, your niece, sister, or even friend for goodness sake! furthermore, they're 12-30 years younger than you ... they do NOT want to hear that. then again, maybe they're just as creepy as you, and they like it. if that's the case, well those types of girls don't read my blog, so i don't care. So, Mr. "I wish i was back in high school so i could really party it up" please, oh please, bite your tongue the next time the urge comes to blurt out one of those sleezy and inappropriate remarks! just remember that you wouldn't want someone referring to your grandma that way... and those girls you're hitting on will be grandmas one day! sicko.
on a final, and completely unrelated, note... my church has released a new website that is such a good resource for anything and everything about Jesus Christ. I really found it interesting, informative, and faith-building. i invite you to check it out, here.