Now who’s a happy guy? This guy right here, that’s who! The biggest and best present to me this
holiday was that from the Latina Book Club in their great review of PUMPS. Although I have only gotten positive and
sometimes, extremely positive feedback on PUMPS, I was on pins and needles for
this one. To actually have someone from
the industry give props to my story is the ultimate compliment of all. The Latina Book Club’s review of PUMPS came
in on December 23rd, just in time to float my boat soaring so high
into the air that I still haven’t come down yet. By the way, if you haven’t checked out the
reviews and recommended readings by the Latina Book Club, you should definitely
get over there. They are promoting books
related to the Latino community, which is a great thing in my opinion. It’s good to know that someone is doing
it. They are great!
Now onto the typical rants that have
come to makeup the material on this blog, here goes today’s puff piece. We are at the start of a new year. I am on the last day of two weeks off from my
regular 9 to 5 day time job for Christmas vacation. It’s been a glorious 2 weeks of doing
nothing.
It turns out that my brain has
decided to take the entire vacation off.
Where I should have been using this time to hard charge it on writing LA
Ninja II, I have been bullshitting around playing video games and staying up
late watching old reruns of Martin and In Living Color. I mean, what a serious waste of time. But it won’t be something that I feel too bad
about. I know that about myself. When I take a vacation, I completely unplug
and stop work, including working out, reading and writing. Conversely, when I’m back to work, I’m back
to work on everything. It’s just the way
I’m wired, I suppose.
It’s been fun though. My daughter who is only 21 months old kind of
got the idea of Christmas, at least the lights and Santa Claus. It’s kind of amazing to see the world around
you transform with decorations. Seeing
it through a first timer’s eyes like hers slows it all down for me and makes me
think about the little things. She
didn’t quite understand the presents or the idea of Jesus and God though. I can’t wait to try to explain that one,
haha. Santa Claus and God, that’ll be
fun to explain. It was fun to watch
Christmas through her eyes, but in the end I think she liked Halloween far
more. We’ll see how that turns out next
year.
Other than that, the weather’s been
pretty shitty. I hate talking about the
weather, especially because it is closely associated with classic “small talk”,
but it is always on my mind. The whole
two weeks has been nothing but Sahara desert type heat waves. Now I don’t care what you say about it being
colder than a witch’s tit on the east coast, or in the Yukon or in whatever
arctic-like conditions you deal with.
The weather being sunny and hot every single day of every single year is
annoying.
Ungrateful am I? No. I
love the “mediterranean” type of climate we have here in San Diego, I just hate
the Santa Anas; they are hot and they cause nosebleeds. Would it be too much to ask for a few days of
rain? How about we go from 80F to maybe
66F? We took the baby to Lego Land and the little lego men were building shade canopies.
We went to the zoo and the camels were eyeballing my water bottle. Plus, our plans to drive out to the local
mountains to see snow went to shit.
There was none.
Anyways, I know I’m alone on this
issue, well, not entirely. My wife
shares my disdain on this issue. But
besides us, every other San Diegoan thinks I’m nuts when I bring it up. They love the Santa Anas, if you can believe
that, which brings up the last thing I’ll say on the topic. I think the constant sunny weather fouls up
the brain receptors in people. Maybe not
exactly that, but there is definitely something in living with the four
seasons. There is something therapeutic
in watching the weather change and spending the winter indoors with your
family. I think families must be closer
when they spend more time together indoors.
I think their relationships must be better too. There is something great about watching a
movie, listening to music, cooking and dancing
by a roaring fire with your closest family while evading the terrible weather outside. You don’t get that when every
day is groundhog day.
Well, enough of that. During the strenuous task of not reading or writing or working, I’ve
been watching movies over the past two weeks.
I saw “Here Comes the Boom” with Doug Heffernan, er, I mean Kevin James. It was a good movie with a common storyline that
delivered well with the UFC backdrop. It
was funny and entertaining, and it tugged at the heart strings when things finally
worked out in the end. Hooking up with
Salma Hayek though? Puleeze. And how Doug pulled a girl as hot as Carrie
(Leah Remini) in King of Queens still boggles my mind, but it’s all good. More power to you Doug!
I also saw Dark Shadows. I know I’m late on all of these, but having a
new kid will do that to you, so cut me some slack, jack, will ya? lol. Dark Shadows was totally awesome. It was funny, interesting, fresh, and
deep. Johnny Depp is easily one of my
favorite actors. And whoever the witchey woman was, she was hot in a dark, crazy way.
While it was no surprise that Tim Burton had his hands all over this, I
was surprised that Graham King produced it too.
Graham just knows how to make movies.
It is my dream to work with him someday.
A guy’s gotta have a dream, right?
Haha, that looks fem on paper.
I also saw Anchorman II. This movie was off the chain funny, I mean it
was sofa king funny I had three laugh attacks in the theatre. Who says that when you reach the big time,
you “shit standing up”? Jack Lame does,
that’s who. I lost it on that line, I
truly lost it and almost had to leave the theatre, but I hung in there. The movie not only didn’t disappoint, but it
far surpassed Anchorman I, in my opinion.
Anchorman I pretty much falls apart after Ron Burgundy gets fired and leaves the
station, but this movie never does that.
Anyways, I have made plans to go see it again, and I won’t say anymore
now to avoid giving away the plot.
That’s been my two weeks on vacation.
Now it’s back to the grind. Smell
ya later!
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