Perhaps a lunatic is simply a minority of one...

sunkist adventures

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 22:45:21 GMT

so since the asians were the coolest thing to happen to me, this is the second coolest.

my brother had his birthday party the other night, and there was so much crap from the store that we didn't have enough room in the fridge for all the 2 liter sodas, so we put a sunkist in the freezer and promptly forgot about it. this was at... probably 2 in the afternoon.

at about two in the morning (yes, 12 hours later) we remembered it. i took it out of the freezer and put it on the counter by the stove. derek was beside me, brian was to my left about 6 feet at the kitchen table, the rest were about 6 feet generally in front of me, down in the living room, on the couch and the floor, watching a movie. it was pretty much frozen. i decided that it looked like it would be a good slushie, so i started to open the cap. it started to fizz, and i was confused bcause i didn't think frozen things should fizz. derek, who was standing there with me, and i started making jokes about it exploding and shards of sunkist getting lodged in our faces. that sounds pretty sweet, if you ask me. so i asked anyone if they thought it might actually explode, and justin, being the definite authority on frozen soft drinks, assured me that, no, it would not explode. so i opened the cap all the way.

from my perspective: well, i think it's a natural reflex to blink/shut your eyes tightly when things explode. but i got to see at least some of the contents fly before i closed my eyes. it got all in my hair, on my glasses, past my glasses, my shirt...

from brian's perspective: he looked over as he heard the loud pop and saw a fountain of sunkist, the size, approximately, of the opening of the top of the bottle, fly up and hit the ceiling, and then proceed to shoot everywhere. by everywhere i mean coating just about everything within a 6 foot radius, reaching to the kitchen table, couch, carpet, everything.

the celing above the stove had a dark orange mark and was dripping soda. the stove was sticky, the floor was sticky. i tried my best to clean up then, but no one was helping me, there was stuff everywhere... so i left it and cleaned it in the morning.

every once in a while we still go into the pantry and find something with sticky orange stuff on it that was hastily put away and not cleaned off. i bet the top of the refrigerator still has sunkist on it.

friggin hXc fight, bro

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 05:25:28 GMT

i was at la jolla shores with andrew and derek last night, and some people they met at a bonfire two nights ago. we found a little 5 liter heineken keg. it didn't have much in it, and the people who tried it said it was gross anyway. there were six of us by the time this incident happened.

there was a large group of asian peoples of the college-age who had a bonfire going. when i say large i mean 50. five zero. a LOT of asians.

some of us in the group started talking about how cool it would be to throw the keg in the fire. eventually it became a dare for one of the guys. i didn't think he'd do it. he sauntered the 50 yards to their bonfire, hopping the little wall in the process, occasionally pausing and looking back at us. he was obviously hesitant, which was why i didn't think he'd go through with it. he went up to them, and as he later recounted, asked them if they wanted any, because he was done. one of them said no and that he should throw it away. he said "hell no, i'm drunk" and threw it in the fire, and "stumbled" back to our group.

approximately 15 seconds later the keg exploded. it was a damn sweet explosion. but it was loud, and some of the girls in the group around the bonfire screamed.

we thought it might be time to go.

we started to walk away... i had been watching the group around the bonfire the whole time. about 30 seconds after the explosion, some of the people around the bonfire started walking towards us. ok, just a friendly chat about the dangers of exploding alcohol and flaming metal shrapnel, right? ...well, not quite.

at first only like four to eight of them started walking over, but then more followed. they hopped the little wall, and started walking faster. when i see a wall of potentially angry asians coming towards me, my first instinct is that the general consensus would be to run. so i ran/jogged/hobbled about 3 yards. i realized none of my friends were running, so i stopped and waited for them to catch up.

this was when the yelling of such articulate phrases as "whassup, mother fucker?" and "what the fuck is up, dawg?" began, from the wall of asians.

i don't know why he picked me, nor why his three friends followed him. maybe because i was partly away from my group, because i had started to run... i can tell you it was not because i looked anything like the guy who threw the keg. he was taller than me, and in all black; i was in a red t-shirt and jeans.

i was apologizing as the four gentlemen's walks became trots, then jogs, and as they politely and carefully ripped their shirts off and again asked "what the fuck is up?" at least one of them had rather large biceps.

at this point i would have to be rather dense to not realize they were going to attack me. jacket off = fight. even though i knew i would most likely be in pain in a few short seconds, i couldn't help but observe and note the ridiculous cliche that was big-biceps-guy taking off his jacket.

i tried to defuse the situation, and let these nice young men know that it was not, in fact, i that threw the keg. all i got in response was "what the fuck is up, dawg" and some fists.

so: four asians running at me, me slightly apart from my group, asians take off jackets, two closest to me pull back their fists in preparation to punch me. i don't like being punched in the face. so i turned my head. thunk, thunk, two to the back of the head. my leg is in a fucking space boot. i can't hardly walk in that thing on my own, let alone try to turn around and keep my balance with two people punching me in the head. i fell to the ground. when i was on the ground i thought "fuck". four of them came around me and started kicking me. i'm not sure how many times they kicked me. at least once on top of the head, once in the back, and once on my leg. i wasn't on the ground for much more than thirty seconds. the whole "fight" (drunken attack) was about 45 seconds.

andrew was totally gonna have my back and kill some asians, but they stopped kicking me. derek couldn't figure out what to do - there were fifty of them. maybe only twenty came to us, either in order to fight or in order to confront us...

it seems the guys who attacked me were drunk. they were completely irrational, and didn't hit very hard, even with their large biceps, and were the only ones that hit anyone, and that's why we assume they were drunk. some of the other people in their group were trying to defuse the situation as well, telling the guys who were on my to get off, back off.

one of the people from our group helped me up, but i don't really recall who. i think that everyone in our group made the smart decision not to start fighting with anyone else, or even to help get the guys off me. that would cause more violence, things would have escalated. 20 or more against 6? pretty pointless fight.

when the guys came over the wall and when the four were running at me, all of us were trying to tell them we were sorry, that it was a joke, we didn't mean to hurt anyone (not that we did), that they needed to chill, whatever... after i got up off the ground, one of us said we were sorry again, and a few of the people in their group said "no, we're sorry." it was obvious that not all of them had come over to fight, and some of them probably saved me from serious injury.

i'm pretty pacifistic in general. even if my foot had been fine, i don't think i would have fought them. even if there were only two of them against me, i don't think i would have fought them. i don't like fighting, and i don't think it's a very good solution. i don't think it's much of a solution at all.

i don't really remember if i was trying to run when i turned around and they punched me in the head, maybe i was. maybe i was being cowardly, or a pussy... whatever. i took it like a man when i got punched and kicked and bruised. i didn't even cry. i have a lump on my head, a cut on my hand and on my knee, a bruise on the side of my face from where my glasses dug in, and a bruise on my ear from where i think i got kicked when i was on the ground. these are my battle wounds, and these are what make me hardcore. because even if i was going to run away, i wasn't able to, and i got pretty kicked around. and so no matter what might have happened, what did happen is what matters: i took it like a man. they helped me up off the ground, and i went and drank the hell out of a chocolate shake from denny's.

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:00:43 GMT

I'm leaving tomorrow for Guatemala, to help people in a place called Chichicastenanga. We are building schools and I am helping install computers in these schools. I think everyone should help other people. It's good for the world. You don't have to go to other countries to help people... you can help the "bum" on the corner who is digging through the trash for food - buy him a burger or a burrito (I just did this last week...). Or you can teach little kids how to tie their shoes. Or you can help the ubiquitous old lady across the ubiquitous street. Just help somebody. Do the pay-it-forward thing. You could help the world, or, if that's too much for you, you could help another human being. I don't really have anything to say that hasn't been said so many times before... but I urge you to act on these suggestions. Start small if you must, like I said, but do something. The world needs it.

*sigh* I hate preaching. I have all these great ideas about how things could be better. I love to make people happy. When you see the look in the face and in the eyes of a person that you have helped, truly helped... There's nothing like it in the world. My cousin and I went to get a burrito at some taco shop off of Fletcher in La Mesa a few days ago. We saw this guy, anywhere from early to late 20s, digging through the trash in the shop, grabbing leftover food off the trays that people had thrown away... So we offered him a burrito. Anything on the menu. He got a carne asada burrito (of course, what else is there to get? does the menu even offer anything else?). We talked to him quite a while as we ate. We didn't figure out how long he had been homeless, but he smelled of alcohol, and may have been into other drugs as well. Over the course of conversation, it came up that he said he "knew he had problems," and hardly deserved what we gave him. He may have had some behavioral problems.
When we finished and got up to leave, we said our goodbyes, said good luck, he promised he would check into a hospital the next day (His excuse for not going then was that it was a Saturday, and he's only allowed to stay there 3 days before they kick him out, and no one helped him the last time he was there on the weekend). All that aside... As we got up to leave, he put his hands together in a praying fashion, bowed his head slightly and said thank you, in that "this means more than you can know" way. The fashion in which he said goodbye... struck me somewhere... I assume he's never been to Thailand, and probably doesn't know much about their culture... but that exact hand gesture and head bow is how Thai people thank each other and say their goodbyes, accompanied by "khap khun khrap" (simply meaning thank you very much)... And since I first saw the people in Thailand do that, I thought it was the most sincere, most honest, most genuine way of thanking and showing one's appreciation. It's the same way I said goodbye to the family we stayed with in Thailand, and it has meant so much to me. It's an interesting coincidence that that man thanked us in the same way. He could never know it, but that showed so much... gratitude.

I don't really know what I'm getting at. I want to say "I want the world to be a better place" "We're all in it together"... such tired cliches, hardly any meaning anymore. But I want you to get past those cliches... get past the same old meaning. Or better yet, rediscover it. Take it to heart. MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. TRULY BELIEVE WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER. So what are you going to do? Better yet, WHEN are you going to do it? What? Tomorrow? Next week? No, NOW! DO SOMETHING, AND DO IT SOON

you may say i'm a dreamer...

Sat, 09 Jul 2005 09:22:41 GMT

i just got back from colorado...great trip... tomorrow (technically today) is ashley's and stephanie's birthdays, so happy birthday! :) ummm...i had a great trip. i love life and everything right now.

vacacion

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 23:23:44 GMT

Ok so tomorrow I am leaving for a family road trip vacation. I will be gone until the 8th of July, and then I will be leaving again the 14th to go to Guatemala. I am gone to Guatemala until the 2nd of August, then I go straight to camp, and am not back till... like a week later. Then I start school August 15, so if anyone wants to do anything, we've got a window of like 2 weeks to plan and do stuff... you figure it out and attempt to contact me. :) See you guys later. Oh, and leave me tons of messages here and on myspace - I love having a bunch to read when I get back from places :)

oh and as a going away present...

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 08:06:15 GMT

Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste...

1) The Rolling Stones FUCKING ROCK! I am digging them to no end.

2) Preach it, Katy! We need some good new-old-fashioned rock and roll music stuff!

3) I am very tired! I must get up early in the morning!

4) I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want them to turn black... No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue. I could not foresee this thing happening to you.

5) I think some people focus too much on "living your own life" or "non-conformity." I don't mean to bash anybody who thinks this (for the most part I agree), and oppositely I don't think people should be all about superficial things, but... If one chooses to live a life of conformity, that becomes their life, their "own" life. So, in the end, we are all living our own lives, whether we conform to others' trends, styles, music styles, etc. So let them live it how they will. Again, I don't condone shallowness and the like, but...

Wed, 01 Jun 2005 16:42:04 GMT

----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: ************
Date: May 31, 2005 10:30 PM

: Goodnight" he said.

"Daddy" she called "Do you love me??"

"What? of course i do.. why would you say that?" her dad said.

"A lot?" she asked

"A lot." he said and kissed her goodnight once again. It wasnt until he was half way out the door when she blurted

"Daddy if you really love me a lot you wont be mad about what im going to tell you.."

"What? What's wrong? Is everything...-" her dad said worried

"Mommyy.." she said clutching her fathers arm "Mommy is gone.. the bad man hurt her."

Her father was tense now. her pushed his daughter away
"Nonsence" he said "Your mother is away at grandma's"

"No daddy, shes not. She came home last night early and the bad man came in with the shiny" she said now heavily breathing, holding back the tears

There was a sudden silence

"Sometimes i see the bad man.. he comes and tells me stories when you're working late and mommy's gone to bed." she continued "But last night he was mad.."

"You are sure of this?" he asked

"Yes, shh.. the bad man comes tonight"

" Stop this! Where is your mother? he cried

She closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. "Mommy's in the closet"

Her father eyed the closet in disbeleif. He shakily walked over and slowly..slowly.. turned the knob

It was then that the window cracked open just a bit... and the large, bloody fingers creeped through...
"Daddy" she whispered "He's back"

*Repost this before midnight or you will lose someone*

------------------------------------------------My Reply---------------------------------------------------

i didn't repost this, and now i am dying! and i am having bad sex for fifteen years! and my uncle just came down with cancer! repost this with my story in it, so people will know to always post itttttt!!!! unngggghhhhhh *bleh* *dead* *cancered* *black plagued*

Fri, 20 May 2005 01:15:24 GMT

I don't like people who do things because other people want them to. I don't like people who do things because other people don't want them to. I don't like people who deliberately do things to be the same as other people. I don't like people who deliberately do things to be different from other people. People should be individual, but not worry about being the same as other people.

1)There is nothing wrong with being different or the same as anyone else. Because in truth we are all different and all the same, simultaneously.

2)In the end we all die, so what difference does any of it make as long as you enjoy the ride?

3)This does not give you any reason to justify cruel or (some, depending on what) socially unacceptable actions by means of the existential philosophy I have outlined in the previous statement. Be nice to people. EVERYONE be nice to EVERYONE. Even if you hate them. Even if you think they're a jackass. So what if they say stupid things, and you think they should shutup. So what if they are "trendy." So what if they are "geeky." SO WHAT IF ANYTHING! We are all on this fucking earth, and we will all be on this fucking earth for a long time to come. Love thy neighbor, friend, parents, children, teacher, student, enemy, etc. Don't hit people. Don't yell at people. DO NOT MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE, whether behind their back or to their face. How would you like it? And if you wouldn't care whether people made or make fun of you or not, still, DON'T DO IT.

Holy shit. Let's ALL do this TOGETHER. No one person is better than another (evil tyrants and dictators excluded - cockroaches are better than them).

Don't just preach it, live it. I don't for a moment think that I always am nice to people. But I am trying. And if we all try...

And now, I step off my soapbox. Enjoy your improved lives.

...

Sun, 08 May 2005 09:01:56 GMT

There is nothing significant that I am able or allowed to say at this point, so I won't. But it's hard. Two people know the most, and those two will have to support me. If I can't say it to them in person, I hope they will read it here. In case you are afraid it is you, well, it is you, Shawn. And you too Andrew. You two know what's up, and I'm sure if you think hard enough, you will be able to think of which "up" I am talking about. I am writing this fairly late at night, or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it, so it may not be entirely coherent. Just know that I have problems in my life at the moment (I know, who doesn't).

Some people have said that I am quieter and "shyer" and such, and I know that I have brought this up in previous journal entries and whatnot, but it bears ressurrection now. I am currently sufferring from insomnia, and possibly depression. I have never suffered from depression before. I am rather sure it is true depression for a number of reasons, one being that I am still an incurable optimist. Yes, that's right - I'm an optimistic depressive. Hi Bert.
Anyway, these and other problems will most likely be assessed if and/or when i see a therapist or a counselor or somebody. You all are doing great at being supportive, even if it is not purposeful or known to you.

Fuck. I hate this shit. I can't say what I want. Fuck.

"The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them..." -Stephen King

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 05:19:04 GMT

so - time for a new journal update? things are goin fine with me, although some people around school (basically, katy) think that i have recently become more withdrawn and/or quiet and/or shy. i wasn't aware of this change, and if more people feel that way, i will try to be less shy, even though i think i am being just about normal. i have been rather tired recently, so maybe that's it? i dunno. anyway, i am trying to save my grades, so i may not be able to do much on the weekends in the near future. please understand that i send my greatest condolences that i cannot attend such social functions as may be going on, and i express my gratitude in the understanding nature of all you wonderful people. we value your input, and would enjoy any type of comments or questions you may have as far as our service for you. whatevah.
-tofer

Sun, 03 Apr 2005 09:21:57 GMT

just so you know, i didn't die. that's the only reason i am updating. i could whine about the bad things going on, or i could go on about how happy i am for the good things that have happened, but what difference does it make? that may have been one of my qualms with even starting this livejournal. time ticks on, and things change. so all anybody really needs to know is what's going on right this second, because that is all that even effects them. in a few days, what will any of it matter? no, i'm not very happy right now, but, as a wise man once said: whoop-dee-shit. all's well that ends well, at least in this case. goodnight ladies and gents.

take away the sensation inside
bittersweet migraine in my head
it's like a throbbing toothache of the mind
i can't take this feeling anymore

drain the pressure from the swelling
hesitations overwhelming
give me a kiss goodnight
and everything will be all right
tell me that i won't feel a thing -
so give me novacaine

sweet dreams
-tofer

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 23:06:02 GMT

so... i am totally and completely done with internship hours for the next million and a half years - i spent the better part of a week being a counselor for little kids at a church camp thing. so that amounts to exactly... 117 hours of internship. holy crapness. i toldja! and plus, i still have my other internship things that i have been doing... oh wow. hundreds of millions of hours. ok. so camp was fun, but now i am becoming sick. and i really freakin need to do homework. i am going to die. soooo much homework. oh boy. yes. so. homework time.

hello dumb children

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 05:04:50 GMT

two people have told me to update, but i have nothing to update about. i tell you all, i update if i have something to say. which i don't have anything of importance to say right now.
we showed our movie in class today, and it went over rather well. it had better have, considering the time i put into editing. of course, credit goes to ryan, who had some great ideas for it, and the other actors in the movie. anyway... enough thank you speeches.
ummm...i am tired, and need to do legg's homework.
i have nothing more to say. goodnight, gentlemen and beautiful ladies.

beauty and the beast...

Wed, 09 Mar 2005 05:44:20 GMT

so this last sunday, andrew robinson, my cousin chandler, and i went to our friend stephanie hable's play, beauty and the beast. it was cool. but it may also have been the funniest shit i have ever seen. the following dialogue will explain:

(during the raffle time at intermission)

Little boy behind us: Daddy! Am i a winner? I have a ticket, so i should be a winner!
Dad: Yes, son. You are a winner.
Little boy: yay!

(time passes, the number is called, the boy didn't win)
(more time passes, the play is already going again. about five minutes into the second half of the play, the little boy starts whining again)

Little boy: but daddy! i want something! i was a winner! i had a ticket.
Dad: don't worry son, when we get home, you can be a winner.
Little boy: (crying) i thought i was a winner!

(another while passes, and the characters in the play are talking about being human again, and how they don't want to be objects of the castle anymore)

Little Boy: oh that's right, daddy. we saw the movie, and they all turned into princesses at the end.

(at this point, the three of us are making audible grunting and laughing noises, trying not to look at each other and crack up. For some reason unbeknownst to us, as we had been attempting to not burst out laughing, the whole cast on stage started to make some crazy giant orgy noises. that did it. my face buried in my shirt didn't help anything. most of the audience closest to us was turning around and looking at us. we couldn't help it. i fell out of my chair, and andrew was crying. i hope we didn't ruin the show for anybody.)

a thing that i wrote...(?)

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 05:47:42 GMT

Rollin down the road, taking in the sights –
My stomach started to growl, I decided to find a place to eat.
I headed towards Burger King, but I must have taken a wrong turn,
Because before I realized it, I pulled up to heaven’s gate.
Now how did I get here?

Well, as long as I’m here, I might as well take a look around.
I pulled up to the gate, and it opened automatically… I bet they thought of that before we did.
I drove on through, and see the sign that points towards God’s house.
I decided to have a chat.

I pulled up to God’s door, and, as he would have it, he is already waiting for me there.
First of all, I said to God “You got any fast food around here?”
They say there are no stupid questions… if that’s so, then that might have been the first.
“Sure we do,” says God, “but you sure you want fast food?
I mean, I got the best food of the whole world.
Spanish feasts, Thai cuisines – you name it, I got it.”
I replied, “Naw, I just want a burger. Maybe from In ‘N Out?”
“Suit yourself.”

So, as I ate my hamburger,
God just kinda hung out and ate a few fries every once in a while.
I finished up the burger, and washed it down with an orange Slice.
“Not too bad.”

So I said to God, “Hey, God, how is it living up here?”
He tells me, “Actually, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
All you guys down there run around like… well, like humans.
You all are a lot of hard work for me.
I’m starting to think maybe I messed up on giving you free will and all that.
Why do you all have to make it so complicated?
I have been up here since the beginning, trying to guide you guys along.
Maybe my mistake was sending humans to teach humans… blind leading the blind.”

God asked why I gave him that funny look.
“But God… I mean, all the different religions – founded by different people…”

God smiled and said, “All those prophets and whatnot?
Come here, I want to show you something.”
He lead me to a room in the back behind a very large staircase,
Which I assume led to his room.
He opens a door, and, that’s when I knew something was wrong with the world.
There, seated around a table, they all were.
Jesus sitting next to Siddartha, sitting next to Moses, sitting next to Muhammed.

A few other familiar faces were discernible, prophets and religious people and all that.
And they had all been smiling and laughing,
But now were looking up at God and me.

Siddartha asked if God or I wanted to join in the next round of cards.
I sadly declined, because, as I explained,
I had an early morning the next day, because I had to go to work.
God understood, and Jesus told me not to work too hard.

God walked me out to the door, and said thanks for stopping by.
“I would offer for you to come by anytime, but this visit was something special…
Don’t worry, though, we’ll see you soon enough.
And maybe sometime you can take us up on that card game –
Muhammed sure does play a mean hand of Go Fish

I thanked God for the food and drink, and got in my car and drove away.
As I drove, I smiled to myself, and laughed, and pondered.
But I no longer worry.