Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year 2011

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

I'm thankful for a few different things this year. First, I'm thankful for a job that I really like. Also, I'm glad that me and my Dad have made a mends and was able to hang out and have turkey dinner at his house. I missed his cooking, big time! I'm also very thankful for Tisha's Mom as she has been a godsend this year. She does a lot for my family and we would be in dire straits without her. What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Florida trip

Recently flew out to Tampa, FL for a new job I took this month.
My goal was to learn as much as I could about a new software being developed called "labtech". We are going to offer a cloud-based solution of this software and I have a good feeling about it. This software toolkit allows IT service providers a robust, way to manage their client computers and servers.
Anyways, it was my first time in Florida and it was alot like California. Beautiful sunsets and warm breezy winds. The only thing I take issue with is some of the monstrous mosquitos I had giving me blood transfusions.

Florida trip

River trip 2010

Our 6th annual trip to the Colorado river took us to a new destination, Needles CA. We stayed in Keith's 5th-Wheel trailer at Rainbo Beach Resort. The People were friendly and the weather was perfection...."Did your balls drop?"

River trip 2010

CHAMPS!

Growing up in the 80's, the Lakers vs Celtics rivalry is very close to my heart. I remember those games very well, and it solidified my adoration for the Purple and Gold as well as resolved my hatred for the puke green Celtics. Those games shaped my love for basketball as a sport. I remember wishing that Magic Johnson was my dad, and dreaming that I could nail 3pt jumpers like Byron Scott.
Lets be straight. I f*cken hate the Celtics. The 2008 Finals had left a dirty taste in my mouth that even last years victory against Orlando could not wash out. The fact that this years Finals came down to a game 7 against Boston had my stomach in knots for the entire 2 day wait. The game was brutal and Boston looked as though they were gonna take control. Kobe was off the mark, our guards were missing jumpshots and the physical style of Boston was tough to overcome. Thankfully, the Lakers dug deep and pulled off a win that was nothing short of miraculous. Even Kobe was baffled by how they were able to win that game. He said so in his postgame interviews. It was a very satisfying win and one that true Laker fans will never forget. We beat the mighty Celtics, and it was oh-so-sweet!

CHAMPS!

LOST Finale

Here it is...The End. Well, after two days and another viewing of the finale here are my thoughts on what became my favorite TV show of all time.
Let me start by saying I "liked" the ending. Not loved it or hated it. As far as episode ranking goes, I would say it belongs in the top 10 of best LOST episodes. I loved the photography of the finale as it had a very cinematic feel to it and set the mood for the important event. Strangely, the picture on my TV appeared to be "Super High Def" for this episode. I don't know if they did something different, but it was beautifully photographed. I especially liked all of the lighting elements. Story wise, I thought that the pace was perfect and the dialog was spot on, especially hearing Sawyer drop 3 or 4 classic "son of a bitch" bombs. Hilarious. All of the exchanges between the losties when they had their "awakening" was very moving. I also, enjoyed the Star wars references by Hugo early in the episode. His "I gotta bad feelin about this" was almost a hint to the viewers that many of them will probably hate the finale.
Basically, I thought the ending of this episode summed up season six very well, However, as a finale to the series, I thought it fell a little short. The twist that we got to the "flash sideways" was pretty well executed. The fact that they were all dead was probably supposed to invoke a "Sixth Sense" type of gasp from the viewers, but instead it was a bit of a "WTF?" moment. That is until I remembered some of the earlier dialog between Hurley and Ben. I then realized that they were not ALWAYS dead, just in the "flash sideways". That was a huge "whew!" moment for me. The accompanying scene where Jack walks through the bamboo forest and lays down to die was awesome. I shed a tear when Vincent laid down next to him. At first, I thought we were watching Oceanic 815 flying overhead, but I quickly realized it was Ajira 316 whisking away what was left of our Losties. Eye closes...Brilliant.
I know that the show has always been about the characters, and I thought the emotional finale was a tribute to them and all that they went through. It was very moving. So yes, I did watch LOST because of the characters, BUT the whole reason I went on to message boards, subscribed to LOST-related blogs, played viral internet games, and posted theories on blogs was because of my fascination with the island mysteries. Unfortunately, the fans were left high and dry in this department. I mean why introduce so many mysteries only to leave them unanswered? I'm all for leaving things to interpretation, but as the tagline for the DVD box set says "All mysteries will be revealed!"...ummm...no, there were not. The writers have always said, that the shows mysteries could be explained away with science or pseudo-science. That was exciting to hear, but where were these explanations? That is why I watched. If the Jacob vs MIB story was not going to be resolved completely, why shove it in our faces all the way up leading to the finale? Too many unanswered questions left me too disappointed. I was planning on watching the entire series again on blu-ray, but now what is the point? I may be able to draw some new conclusions by doing a re-watch, but I'm still not going to learn answers to some of the fundamental questions posed on LOST.
1. What IS the Island?
2. Who built the statue and why?
3. What was with the Dharma food drops?
4. Who/What occupied Jacobs cabin? and I thought he lived in the foot?
5. What did the temple represent and why is there a temple "master"?
6. We didn't get the full story regarding "the others" and what they represent.
7. What was Man in Black's name and why is it so important not to tell us?
8. Why was Ben allowed to move on and not Michael? Ben killed way more people!

9. How did Christian appear to Michael on the freighter?

10. What went down during the outrigger shootout?

11. Who was mother and what was her origins?

12. Why were all the characters interconnected like they were? both the castaways and the others.

13. How did Jacob and Richard and Mr. Friendly come and go from the island so easily?

14. What was with Walts powers?

15. If Jughead really did go off, how was everyone not incinerated by a nuclear blast?

Dude, I can go on and on and on...

(I'm posting these questions as a reminder to myself that I will continue to seek these answers and cross them off as they are revealed)
When you are watching the series from start to finish, you have to come to grips with the fact that many of theses questions will go unanswered. The show is amazing and I'm thankful for it but I wanted to be able to walk away from this and never have to look back. Now I know I'm going to have to remain in the LOST online community just so I can grasp at hints of answers that my slowly leak out from the producers or insiders. Its kind of a cop-out and yet it might be cool as the LOST universe may live on much like the Star Wars universe has.
If my take on the finale appears to be too negative, I apologize. I really do love this show, but its going to be hard to recommend it to people who have not seen it. I may have to forewarn them regarding keeping an open mind when it comes to how it ends. Maybe my opinion will change over time. The show ended 3 days ago and it still has me wrapped around its finger. It is an experience that will always stick with me and frankly, there are not too many television programs that leave such an indelible impression on ones life. This is the only TV show that has ever done that for me. I will be forever grateful for living LOST.
Namaste.

LOST Finale

Lakers sweep Utah

Glad that the Lakers took care of business and made quick work of the Jazz.
The Suns will be our next opponent in the Western Conference Finals.
Bring it on!!

Lakers sweep Utah

Prom 2010

Taylah was invited by her friend Jesse to escort him to his Senior Prom at Loara. She looked beautiful as always and they were able to go with a big group of friends.

Prom 2010

Lakers advance past OKC

Pau Gasol was the hero of Game 6 as he tipped in the missed shot by Kobe. With .5 seconds left in the game, Gasol came up big and helped the Lakers move on to the second round where they will face the Utah Jazz

Lakers advance past OKC

Happy Birthday Claudia

Happy Birthday to Claudizzle. I remember you as a little 3 year-old runnin' around the house. Can't believe you are 21 today. Watch out world!

Happy Birthday Claudia

ocpctech.com

My new business is up and running and ready to serve the North Orange County community.

We specialize in PC sales, repair and upgrades. Special emphasis is on helping small to medium sized businesses utilize SEO and Social Networking to market their brand via web 2.0 tools. OCPCTech is a full service IT outfit that is able to leverage a large number of industry professionals to accomplish just about anything that needs to be done in relation to computing and technology. Visit our website for a full list of services provided. We offer high value solutions at a very low cost.

ocpctech.com

Opening Day 2010

It was a beautiful night for the Angels to kickoff the 2010 Season. Angel stadium looked great with the revamped "Big A" and the All-star touch-ups that have been done around the park.

Hideki Matsui made an opening day impression with some ribbies and a bomb into the right field pavilion. Morales hit a homerun that landed about 12 feet from us just inside the left field foul pole. J-Weave was able to avenge his opening day loss against the Twins in 2008 and all together it was a fun night to be had. Go Halos!

Opening Day 2010

Happy Birthday to my Daughter

We love you Taylah and hoped that you enjoyed your party.

Happy Birthday to my Daughter

311 Day 2010 in Las Vegas

I've always wanted to see my favorite band at a 311 day event. As soon as I found out that 2010 was gonna take place in Las Vegas, I knew I had to be there. It was really cool hangin out with 311 fans from all over the world. The show was awesome (with the exception of an echo that was present behind the stage) and the set list was cool as they did an awesome mashup of some classics and put on a great display of lasers and video to go with the fun songs off of the Uplifter album.
If 311 day 2012 is hosted outdoors or in a more acoustically favorable venue, I will be there no matter what city!

The video below is concert footage from 311 day and is dubbed with one of my favorite songs from the new album Uplifter

311 Day 2010 in Las Vegas

Locke in Black

Locke in Black