Exiled From Hawaii

Lost is back; and more insane than ever

2008-02-02T21:26:00.003-10:00

While I wait for my iPhone to try and fix itself, I figured now would be as good a time as any to talk about Lost. I forgot just how insanely addictive this show is, and I wasn't prepared for it in the least; some real mind benders were dropped. What we know now:
1. Six people get off the island: Of the forty-plus survivors, only a half-dozen actually return to civilization (dubbed the Oceanic Six by the media) and for some reason they all agree to lie about it? Jack, Kate and Hurley are part of that group. The other three? I'll say Sawyer and Sayid for sure. The last one I'm just not sure.
2. Jack's dad is Jacob??: Not totally sure about that, but it was definitely Christian Shepherd sitting in Jacob's rocking chair. The white sneakers, dark suit and giant forehead was enough proof for me.

My iPhone lost it's Edge...

2008-02-02T21:12:00.000-10:00

So yeah. I've always had my iPhone hacked, or "jailbroken" as the term goes, to let me install 3rd party apps. Only the latest version is a little messed up, and now I can't connect to the Edge network... Now the Edge network isn't the speediest kid on the block, but at least it's faster than what I have now! I didn't think it would be a deal breaker but today I finally got sick of it. Luckily there is a way to restore it back to firmware 1.1.1 and re-upgrade it to a newer hacked version of 1.1.3, but the process is taking forever. :( By the way, why did Mac get rid of the sad mac icon?? I always felt it empathized with me when our old OS 9 G3 Macs would incessantly crash in the middle of our layout design back at the newspaper...

Getting intimate with modern warfare

2007-12-14T22:54:00.000-10:00

So lately I've been fairly preoccupied with work, freelance, church activities, family drama and the occasional biking or rock climbing. When I do get a chance to blow the dust off my Xbox, I've mostly been playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It's arguably the best multiplayer shooter out on the system. And yes, I'm including Halo 3 in there. Here's why:

I say that for a couple reasons. First off, Modern Warfare is trying to emulate real life combat situations, to an extent. Because of that, you don't get Halo-style game play where everyone runs out in the open blasting each other point-blank. You get a lot more tactical game play where you hide in cover, make sure it's clear, then run top-speed to the next cover point. Second, you earn upgraded gear and tactical perks as you play the game, which breathes more life into game play and encourages you to participate more. As you rank up, you not only get a new medal, but you also get better guns, skills and additional challenges. All in all, I have to say it's the most well-rounded multiplayer on xbox today.

becca rules

2007-10-18T12:49:00.000-10:00

Wow what a cool chick.

Good Widgets; the name is self-explanatory

2007-10-07T20:32:00.001-10:00

Good Widgets has a simple premise; provide a unique spin on the Flash photo slide show. Now sites that let you make free slide shows are literally dime-a-dozen on the web. Just check a random Myspace profile and you'll see what I mean. The downside of those are that they are usually pretty ugly and are branded head-to-toe with their corporate logo or watermark. GW, however, has taken a different spin.

First off, their widgets are cool. Each one is fairly unique, and while there are only eight to chose from, it is a good selection. Second, If you want to remove the free advertisement, you can do so for the measly price of only $2.99. My only qualm is you don't get the Flash source code, but thats just from me, a Flash developer. For the average web user, all they want is a simple and easy interface and Good Widget delivers.
get em here

Steelers 4 & 1 after shutting out Seattle

2007-10-07T10:12:00.000-10:00

It was definitely a slow start for both football teams as the Seattle Seahawks went to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. A lot of that had to do with the unusually hot October weather in Pittsburgh. Also, both teams with a 3 & 1 record were desperately trying to not repeat last week losses by changing up plays, but getting nowhere. Did I mention the Steelers top receivers were out on injury? Even so, the Steelers were able to squeeze out a score before halftime. But it was anyone's game. That is, until the second half started.

They should've called it "How Roethlisburger got his groove back", because he was on fire. After the break, Pittsburgh came out charging, stringing together play after play for ten minutes as they marched down field, capping it with another TD. And their defense was on lock for all four quarters, leaving Seattle's QB surrounded by field with no one to pass to. One more TD and the deal was sealed. Now with enough time to rest up their star players, hopefully Pittsburgh can keep their winning push further into the season.

Everyone loves the iPhone

2007-08-12T20:00:00.000-10:00

Late night, I had to get me some fourth meal®. Actually, it was second meal; all I had today was breakfast. The drive-thru line took forever, so of course I had to break out the iPhone and send some quick texts. I get to the window, and the window guy was like "that'll be six dollars and forty... dude, is that the new iPhone??" So before I could get my Mexican Pizza® and taco supreme, I had to give him a quick demo on how the browser switches to landscape view when you tilt it. Besides, I'm ultra-paranoid of offending fast-food workers for fear of them spitting in my Diet Pepsi.

The hey-Zeus phone: iPhone hype is real!

2007-08-03T20:27:00.000-10:00

For the last couple weeks, I've been saying how the iPhone wasn't for me. All hype, and way over-priced. That is, till I actually used one. A guy at my office has one and handed his over for a closer look. Big mistake. This thing is like butter.
The google maps, the web browser and the full-screen video iPod make this thing as close to the holy grail of phones as you can get. The one thing I have mixed emotions about is the on-screen keyboard, but even after only a day my typing skills have really improved. I was also wary about the closed system for 3rd party apps, but the extensive homebrew and web apps coming out daily make this phone better and better. For the record, I held out for three days before I broke down and bought the iphone, which i wrote this post with...

28 Weeks Later; see this movie!

2007-05-07T18:51:00.001-10:00

28 Weeks Later; see this movie!, originally uploaded by russdogg.

So my friend Dave got me some free tickets to an early showing of 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to 28 Days Later. Now I wasn't the biggest fan of the first one; partly due to crowd I saw it with, but mostly because the acting was sub-par, the plot jumped around a lot, and the people purposely did stupid things. The sequel however is ten times better, at least.

The main family in the movie are still unknown actors, but they included a favorite actor of mine, Harold Perrineau; better known as Michael from ABC's Lost, or Link from the Matrix Trilogies. He is also the helicopter pilot in one of the best "chopper blade decapitation" scenes ever in a horror movie (including Grindhouse). Other favorite scenes of mine were the shots of London in ruins, especially the helicopter landing through the partial dome of Wembley Stadium. How they did those scenes I don't know, but it was good. If you like zombie movies, or even horror movies in general, go see this. Now.

Jack Bauer. That's all you need to know.

2007-01-23T09:39:00.000-10:00

Needless to say to 24 fans worldwide, Jack is indeed back. Beaten, torture-scarred, nasty acid-burned hand, malnourished, and deadlier than ever...

Jack is back, and after two years in a Chinese water torture chamber, he readily accepts dying for the red white and blue; but when he realizes the US government was duped by a lying terrorist (is there any other kind??), he escapes by ripping out the nearest jugular with his teeth. Think Jack will spare Curtis when he stands in the way of the only link to the terrorists? Forget about it. Jack shoots him point-blank the only way he knows how; in the throat, of course. Obviously in homage to his buddy, dead President Palmer. Clearly Jack's brother will not be getting any special treatment, unless the plastic bag over the head is some sort of childhood game. Speaking of which, whats with all the family in LA Jack has all of the sudden? It's like he stumbled across the Bauer Family Reunion Picnic or something...

Christmas with the fam

2006-12-30T18:08:00.000-10:00

Suprisingly it was a mellow christmas. Lots of Hi def basketball and football, first annual ping pong tournament, and no drama.
 Russdogg ™

American Airlines arena

2006-11-17T23:03:00.000-10:00

Post Heat game, outside the AA arena, the heat is still on at 10:30 at
night so we cruised South Beach afterwards.
 Russdogg ™

Miami trip Heats up

2006-11-14T20:34:00.000-10:00

It was a long day of orientation today. For some reason it seemed a lot longer than it really was. Fortunately tonight was our team event where
we all got to go out as a group for a night on the town.

First we checked out Gloria Estevan's restaurant/club Bongos,which was a Cuban cuisine with a big open dance floor. Right after that we walked to the American Airlines center to watch the Miami Heat play the Denver Nuggets.
Sure the seats were way up there, but we had a blast regardless. Miami ended up losing and Shaq didn't even play but we didn't care. Finally we hit up South Beach and checked out a high-class club, but it was a little too high class for us and we ended out walking the strip, seeing the Versace mansion, then checking out the beach at midnight. It was crazy but really cool at the same time.  Russdogg ™

Awesome hotel, even better job...

2006-11-13T14:45:00.000-10:00

I got in pretty late last night to Miami. Actually, it was only about 7:30 california time, but it was 10:30 east coast. Which was not cool because I was hungry! Nothing was open and I was sooo tempted to eat from the minibar. The 4 dollar cost for a bag of M&Ms was enough to curb the hunger pangs though. By the time I got to sleep at 2:30 AM, I only had about 4 and a half hours of sleep. Luckily my room is awesome. 14th floor suite with a king-size bed, ceiling to floor windows, kitchen, two bathrooms and a jet tub.

First day of the training session was very cool. We basically are being
indoctrinated in the company culture, which is very cool and goes with
my style perfectly.
 Russdogg ™

Flying can of sardines...

2006-11-12T10:30:00.000-10:00

Got to the airport to find a line of 200 + people waiting in front of
me. Luckily someone pointed out another skycap way down the way also for
american airlines, so I hustled down there and had my bag checked in
right away. Now I,m packed in the middle of a miami-bound 747. I
always, and I mean always fly window seat so how I got dead center of
the plane is beyond me... it'll definitely be an interesting 5 hours.

 Russdogg ™

The Game graces the cover of the L.A Times

2006-11-11T19:17:00.000-10:00

With just days remaining till the release of The Doctor's Advocate,
Compton rapper Jayceon "the game" taylor is everywhere, from Connecticut
radio stations to conventions to Letterman and the L.A times. Only time
will tell if he sells more than his last album.
 Russdogg ™

Kings Kabob is my guilty pleasure

2006-11-10T18:04:00.000-10:00

Kings kabob is the best/worst thing to happen to me since living in L.A.
The food is so so good but I am definitely going to miss it when I start
work in Santa Monica!
--russdogg

Writely officially becomes Google docs

2006-10-12T07:03:00.000-10:00

Well, my favorite online word processor, Writely, has finally made the transition to a full-on Google application. Earlier this year they were bought out by the big G, but it wasn't until late last night that it went offline and came back as Google docs. Basically, its the same as a basic version of Microsoft Word, but all your files are stored online. You can access them from anywhere, export them as a Word file, PDF, text file, or even an html web page. All for free.

The best feature? the ability to have multiple contributors to any file. I tested this out with my sister this morning while working on my resume. I just added her email address as a contributor and it was added to her documents list. Once she got on, a little indicator popped up on the bottom to tell me she was working on it at the same time. When ever she made an edit, about three seconds later it showed up on my screen. Theres a refresh button on the bottom too, just in case you need the latest version, to the second ;) As a plus, Google also put up a link to their Excel clone, Google spreadsheets. Google is taking over!

Video Downloader to Youtube: "Yoink!!"

2006-10-02T08:27:00.000-10:00

As a Flash designer, I've always been interested in video on websites. It always seems to be a problem with not having the right video plug-in, or the wrong browser to view it, etc. By creating a video player in Flash, you can skip the plug-in and browser issues and have the video right on your page. Of course you still need content. Enter Videodownloader. Videodownloader is the easiest way to "borrow" videos from popular websites like Youtube. It's an extension for the Firefox browser, and when you have a video on your page, just click the button and it starts to download.

Gangs of London demo not vaporware?

2006-09-26T14:20:00.000-10:00

I signed up for the free Gangs of London demo on the off-handed chance that Sony might actually follow through with a promise, but I wasn't betting my savings on it (or even the $1.50 for my daily Diet Pepsi). So I was a little suprised to see it show up in the mailbox. Upon closer inspection, I see that it came from Santa Monica, which is only like 10 minutes from here.

If you ever played The Getaway games, the gameplay will look really familiar.

Luckily the controls aren't quite so wonky. Its like a cross between the getaway and the Grand Theft Auto series. The good news is it only takes a coupe minutes to learn the controls. The bad news is the demo is only a couple minutes long. You'd think if they went through all the trouble to press these demo discs, they'd at least last long enough to help you decide if you want to buy it or not. The Loco Roco demo (which was a free download) was an entire level of gameplay. Enough to get you hooked to a game where most levels are pretty similar. This game obviously has a lot of potential, but they barely get into anything on the demo. Still reserving my judgement until it's released.

Let the dog out!

2006-09-20T15:23:00.000-10:00

It is seriously a disgrace how Duane "Dog" Chapman has been treated by the American Government.

You can help by signing his petition , giving some money to his defense fund, or visit his site on A&E to get a little more informed. At last check, there were about 45,000 signatures on the petition. Keep em coming!

Can the boys in gold dodge a bullet this season ?

2006-08-29T15:31:00.000-10:00

Sports Illustrated has Joey Porter on the cover this month and asks, "Do the Steelers have what it takes to make another Super Bowl run? I've been a Pittsburgh fan since I was in junior high, so don't get it twisted when I say their chances are getting slim. Most haters say last year's win was a fluke, but I disagree.
It was an excellent combination of good players, tenacity, a few trick plays and some good calls in our favor tht gave them the ring; and really, when isn't that the case? But with Jerome Bettis retired, Antwaan Randle El gone due to his free-agent status, and Big Ben not playing up to par in the pre-season after his motorcycle injury and now getting his appendix out, the outlook to another superbowl sort of grim. I'm still hoping they can do it, but unless A.) Big Ben really gets back into the game and excels and B.) Porter keeps up his game onslaught all season, then the odds are definitely against them.

Mel's creative genius continues with his next masterpiece

2006-08-28T13:27:00.000-10:00

Mel Gibson, world reknowned actor extrordinaire and star of such classics like Bird On A Wire, Maverick, the Chili Con Carne Club, and (of course) What Women Want, has traded in his comedy/tragedy masks for a silky pair of puffy director's pants. His latest masterpiece, Apocalypto, is currently in the works - and not a moment to soon I might add. After his recent alchohol-fueled, Semetic loving-challenged tirade, the King of Malibu Rum needs a little redemption. The question remains, If Mel made the Passions and then it came out that he hated Jews, does this South American epic spell out Mel's unspoken hatred of Mayans? In my unbiased professional opinion, yes. When the end comes, can Mel outrun his fate?

Snizakes on a Plizane!!!!!!

2006-08-18T14:17:00.000-10:00

With all the current worries about liquids on planes, only Samuel L. has caught on to the reality we should be fearing: snakes. This movie was as good - and bad - as I had hoped. It's not often you go to a movie knowing it's going to suck. Usually you have a slight hope that maybe, just maybe it'll redeem itself, only to be let down once again when the credits roll. When you know its gonna be ridiculous, you can let loose and just laugh till it hurts, as did everyone else at the theatre with us. Please go see this. I can guarantee you'll only be dissapointed if you go in thinking it will be good.

Moving on to (not bigger but) better things...

2006-08-11T16:41:00.000-10:00

My new Macbook, baby...
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Last Tuesday I flew back to Hawaii, where I'm working on Island Football's yearly pre-season magazine. Being back on Oahu after a good twelve months on the mainland has had me kind of re-examining my life over the last year. I can easily say my circumstances have greatly improved; monetarily I may not be too much better off (haha), but my living situation and life direction have definitely recieved an upgrade. Last year I was desperate to work on the mag, broke after my month in China and working with my brother on a start-up web company. Now I'm living in L.A., taking Flash Design classes at UCLA and doing freelance web work; I actually had to turn down a full-time job oportunity because it came the day I was flying out. Last year I had scraps to work with and took a while to get paid; this time I had my flight paid for and they bought me a laptop worth over 2 G's as compensation, 2 weeks before I even flew over. I really feel blessed to be able to keep traveling around and still get paid. That freedom is something I've been reluctant to give up, so hopefully I can keep things rolling in the right direction.

Pray for Big Ben

2006-06-13T12:45:00.000-10:00

Say a little prayer for Ben
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Yesterday Ben Roethlisberger was hit by a car while riding his streetbike in Pittsburgh. His head hit the other car's windshield and then was tossed a ways farther. The worse news is he wasn't wearing a helmet! Now I got a lotta love for Ben, and I've been a Steelers fan since the late 80's but damn, that was a dumb move. Especially when it is a on a street bike that can top 180 miles an hour. So please join in and pray he has a full recovery, and maybe gets a little common sense too.

Diet Pepsi, vindicated from claims of causing cancer (and being gay)

2006-04-04T14:13:00.000-10:00

Ever since I started drinking Diet Pepsi, I never looked back. It all started a few years back when I spent a month in the Cook Islands working for a football magazine, riding modpeds and hanging out on the beach. Reality set in when I got home to Hawaii and I realized I was dirt broke. I mean bank-closing-your-account broke. Aside from having less than a dollar to my name, for some reason my biggest worry was I couldn't afford my daily Pepsi. My roomate decided to be the good samaritan, but with a twisted stipulation: He would only buy me Diet. I was appalled, however my disgust for sugar-free soda was superceded only by my addiction to caffination, and I eventually got used to it. The fact that I was removing so much sugar from my daily diet was very encouraging towards my pathetic attempts to live a healthier way of life, but there are always critics. The one complaint I always hear about Diet Pepsi (aside from it being gay) was the so-called "fact" that Aspartame, Diet Pepsi's artificial sweetener, caused cancer.

Now I decided this was a calculated risk I was willing to take, since my immediate family and relatives are highly prone to diabetes (and alchoholism, but thats another blog...), but not a single relative has cancer. Well, there's good news fellow Aspartame Addicts: Diet drinkers everywhere can now breathe a sigh of relief and now have some clinical grounds to stand on. A recent study by the National Cancer Institute has debunked the cancer causing blame on Aspartame. Read it and weep, critics. There are some claims that Artificial sweeteners can interfere with your diet, but that only applies if you are too stupid to read the calories clearly printed on the side of the package.

We want tacos! We want tacos!

2006-04-02T20:31:00.000-10:00

Lakers played Phoenix today.Kobe was playing good in the first half, but his game play was more of a passing game, with only 15 first-half points. of course thats alot of points but this is Kobe we are talking about. After the half, he came back on fire, drilling shots from all over the court, scoring 19 points in the third. When it was all said and done, Bryant had 42 points total, making this game # 23 that he had 40+ points this season, tying Elgin Baylor for Laker with the most 40+ games in a season. Now it was a gimme that the Lakers would win, especially with T-Mac out on injury, but on an intersting side note Yao actually held his own finishing with 25 points. That's a long way from when he first came in the League and was getting pushed around all the time.
After Kobe's blazing 3rd and 4th quarters, MVP chants could be heard through out Staples Center. After Kobe sat out, the chant changed. Inaudible at first, it soon became clear. We Want Tacos! We Want Tacos! Apparently Taco Bell was giving out vouchers for tacos if the Lakers kept the opponents to under 90. Luckily for the hungry fans, Rockets only made it to 88. Rumor has it the Rockets were coerced to keep it under 90 by city officials for fear of riots.

Life after Lasiks Surgery

2006-03-26T08:06:00.000-10:00

post-Lasiks web chat
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

If there is any advice I could offer to anyone considering corrective eye surgery, it would be to not get too in-depth in your research. I say this only because once you know exactly how it's done, you've seen tons of graphic images, and read a few "horror stories" on the web, it gets kind of scary! I wish almost that I was completely ignorant to the process, haha. It's been three weeks since I had the procedure, and my vision is pretty near perfect. Before the surgery I was incredibly near-sighted, like -7.15 or something like that. And now, it is fantastic. It was really blurry immediately afterwards, but it has been less blurry every day, and night vision is getting better as well. It can take months to completely heal and for your eyes to adjust. Life is good.

Fresno Web Design? craigdev.com

2006-01-03T08:45:00.000-10:00

Why go with craigdev.com for your fresno web design? Because they have fresh designs at a competitive price.
Web design that combines Flash, Asp.NET and HTML
Based out of Fresno, California, you can
check them out at www.craigdev.com.

I join the ranks of those suffering from the "Lost Effect"...

2005-11-17T08:32:00.000-10:00

The "Lost Effect"... Originally uploaded by russdogg.

I got home from work just in time to religiously watch ABC's "Lost" in HD last night. After another excellent hour, they followed it up with "Invasion", a terrible aliens-among-us show replete with sub-par acting and cheesy special effects. The main character is pretty boy Eddie Cibrian, you may remember him from ESPN's lame duck poker drama Tilt. Half way through it, I realized I knew ALL the characters and storylines. How was this possible? It then dawned on me that I had watched EVERY episode, since it comes on right after the best show this season. Lost is just that good; so good it puts me in a drooling trance for another hour. It could have been test patterns or re-runs of that "Steve Urkle" show, and I would watch still it with a zombie expression, mouth agape. I dub this the "Lost Effect". I can't be the only one afflicted by this, can I? Are there millions suffering out there?

my parents riot their way through France

2005-11-12T11:39:00.000-10:00

Gordon and Aileen love to smash things
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

The riots in France started the same day my parents went there on vacation. Coincidence? I think not! Yahoo news confirmed as much, as well as provided a more detailed map of my parents site seeing/ car burning trip. Reuters reports that my dad prefers to keep destruction close to the capital city of Paris, while my mom enjoys razing southern costal towns.

french Officer supresses riots with bladder

2005-11-10T11:03:00.000-10:00

Riots are no match for my excess of body fluids!
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Riots turned out to be no match for one Parisian police officer - or " Les Flic" as urban youth in France have so eloquently nicknamed them - as he used only his power of urine and excellent bladder control to douse the flames of a burning car; no-handed no less.

5 reasons why I'm broke...

2005-10-28T20:34:00.000-10:00

... Or maybe just four 17 inch reasons. I just ordered my new 17" Motegi rimz, the DP-12's. I'd been checking them out online for a while, but they were expensive to get 'em shipped to my house. Well, My brother is in town for the week, and he has the proverbial hookups in Fresno, so he took me to the ghetto tire shop way down in the hood, which is good because I probably wouldn't go by myself. Ordered the motegis and the low profile tires, all installed, for only a grand. Way cheaper than anywhere on the internet, and with the hood seal of approval.

Nike Campus, my pilgrimage to the holy land

2005-10-25T08:27:00.000-10:00

Nike Campus, my pilgrimage to the holy land
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Another one of my buddies from college flew me out to work on their websites. This weekend i hit up Portland, Oregon. I gotta say I was impressed. Super fun town, lots of night life, always things to do. Highlights included: Going to (and getting kicked out of) the Nike campus in Beaverton; Eating Stanich's monster hamburger; finally getting my video iPod, blowing insane amounts of cash at the Nike outlet and then again at Nike town, and watching "wedding crashers" at the Kennedy School.

Ridin the rails... in Las Vegas

2005-10-17T20:14:00.000-10:00

Me & Todd on the Vegas monorail
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

A quick trip down to Vegas turned out to be pretty fun. I love how cheap airflights are now from Fresno. Round trip 120 bucks, and it would've been 50 bucks cheaper if I bought 2 weeks in advance. Hit up the fiji Day 2005 celebration, at Sams Town Casino. Leave it to the Fijians to get the gig at some ghetto casino, haha. But it was awesome. The musician Fiji Veikoso rocked the house, with fiji celebs like the US ambassador to Fiji, retired WWF wrestler Jimmy Snooker, and that huge fijian she-male that just got his boobs done. My friend's wife made it especially fun by winning 4500 bucks at the craps table in about an hour. She kicked me down a hundred chip which i turned into 180 on another table, so we had money all weekend. Nice.

Steelers rock Monday Night Football

2005-10-10T19:18:00.000-10:00

Oh baby, this was a nail biter. I got off work early and made it home just in time for the kick off. Probably one of the most nerve wracking football games I've watched in quite some time. And let me tell you, after watching 3 straight hours in high definition, I can't imagine ever watching it any other way. Seriously, it's that good. Pittsburgh scored first, in the 2nd quarter, Big Ben roethlisberger actually ran in for the TD. This kid really rocks. However, after terrible calls and obscure rules pulled out of nowhere, Steelers lose the lead. At the end of the game, right at crunch time when Pittsburgh is trying to come back for the win, Ben gets injured! I was almost sick at this point, but they were close enough for the kick and they pulled it off. Thats how Monday Night Football should be. Oh yeah, and despite Arnold Schwarzenegger's lame vote-pandering prediction of San Diego victory, Chargers didn't jingle all the way.

pretty mean for a civic

2005-09-20T15:19:00.000-10:00

pretty mean for a civic
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Heres my new car. Stoked. I went to every Honda dealership in the Fresno area, trying to find the best deal. Everyone kept giving me the run around. Nobody had a black civic, and they kept trying to get me to get someone to co-sign. I saw on Honda's website they have a special loan for new graduates, but one place said the deal they were giving me was "so good" that they couldn't offer the graduate loan. So much B.S. Finally I went through Western Fleet. I told them exactly the car i wanted, down to interior color, and they got it for me. So easy, and pretty quick. A few days later, my civic showed up at their on a flat bed truck. Theres something about a brand new car that rocks. The seats still had the plastic covers on them, and there was only 12 miles on the odometer, haha.

yahoo racists?

2005-09-01T19:06:00.000-10:00

yahoo racists
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Hmmm... check out some images from the yahoo slideshow about the hurricane Katrina. Note the difference between the descriptions, the black guy "looted" food from a grocery store while the white people "found food" at a grocery store...

Home is where the heat is...

2005-07-22T21:55:00.001-10:00

It feels good to be back in California, even if it is ghetto Fresno. I really don't miss Hawaii that much, since all my friends already left anyway. The major downside? It's hella hot! I'm talkin 110 degrees and more. My brother and I went to Arizona and it was 119 degrees. too much. My brother-in-law observed i was like Dustin Hoffman's character in the Graduate, you know, swimming in the parent's pool every day... not the "hooking up with the older lady" thing, haha. At least not yet. i just got here. Web design, going good, finally making some cash. Recent works: My buddy's band site,Upstandingyouth.com.

The good times are killing me

2005-07-22T21:50:00.000-10:00

So I got back from a month in China of just travelling and having the coolest experiences... I get home to Hawaii to find out I'm getting evicted at the end of this month! I'm officially graduated from college now, but that's left me with kind of a dilemma... Since I quit my job before the China trip, I now have no job and no money. And I HATE living in crappy student housing, living with a bunch of idiots who have no clue as to even wash a dish. I can move back to California, and work with my brother doing web design, which would be cool, but damn, it just aint Hawaii, you know? and its like I have to grow up now, haha. I can't just screw around and travel to different countries when ever I want like before. That whole "getting a real, 9-5 job" thing just doesn't appeal to me. I want to leave Hawaii because most of my friends have also graduated and left or got married or something like that, and I feel like I'm dragging behind... I don't know. Just spouting randomness, stoked to be finally done with college yet depressed at what that actually means for my life.

Trip to China is confirmed!

2005-04-10T21:34:00.000-10:00

postcard peddler
Originally uploaded by dingadingdang.

Hahahahaha... I finally got my trip to China confirmed, and tickets bought! May 1st to the 31st, I'm going to be cruising Asia with my buddy Jeremy. I have no clue what to expect, I know nothing about China. Plan on getting tons of bootleg DVDs though, be certain bout that! unless the feds are reading this, in which case, I'm not... haha

Free G-mail accounts here

2005-02-26T18:48:00.000-10:00

Well it turns out G-mail gave me another 50 invites. It seems like I can't go through these things fast enough. If there is anyone out there that wants one be sure to leave a comment on this post with your email address. It won't hurt if you clicked on those google ad things on the right too, but I really don't care. Its a wonder they haven't gone ahead and made it public yet. Well, until then I'll be giving em out here. Holler! Oh yeah, for more google beta fun, check out Video.google.com. you can search the closed captioning of tv shows, and see screen shots of the episode.

dont diddy on my shaq shoe phone!

2005-02-25T11:35:00.000-10:00

dont diddy on my shaq shoe phone!
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Leave it to P-diddy to show off crazy but useless technology.(remember his diamond iPod in the Snoop video?) It was entertaining, but couldn't wipe from my memory that terrible half-time show blasting... country music?!? They only added insult to injury when this huge black cowboy broke out into a terrible rap reminiscent of the chicago Bears rap in the '80s. It wasn't my favorite all-star game, but Vince Carter did show he still had a shadow of some of the moves that helped him win the slam dunk contest in 2000. The alley-oop to himself was awesome. Luckily no Kobe/Shaq conflicts this time. Kobe is my boy, no doubt about that, but I gotta be realistic; Shaq would knock Kobe into the cheap seats.

Lil' Jon says"HWWWHHAAATT???!!"... Lakers win!

2005-02-16T21:32:00.000-10:00

Kobe works Utah, drops 40
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

If Kobe Bryant's recovery wasn't good enough news, the Lakers won today's game! It was a damn fine moment to witness Kobe back in action, and playing well. Did I mention the 40 points he dropped? holler. I'm officially not sick anymore, which only someone without health care (such as myself) can truly savor, and I aced my test scoring 100 percent, without studying. Word. Now I just need to start skateboarding again and my life will be complete. For this week, at least.

Life speeds past you when you are lazy

2005-02-12T03:02:00.000-10:00

self-portraits of being sick at work
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

I've been so lazy this semester and its due totally to the fact that I only have one class left till I graduate. Super fast update: Pittsburgh lost to the Patriots thus ending any Super bowl hopes this year, we watched the game on my projector so it was a huge 80 inches of footbally goodness. I've been sick with something since last saturday, so I've been miserable all week, The power was out in my entire town yesterday for hours, and to pass the time we threw fireworks at passing cars. Honestly, I'm 25, still in college, throwing firecrackers at people driving by. Something is seriously wrong with me. Just when it dawned on us that we could probably go loot the town unnoticed, the power immediately came back. Not like we seriously would,you belive me right??? Nobody better report me to the honorcode gestapo! uhmmm.... anyways... word to the wise: dont go to the gym sick. Lifting weights while light headed is listed under the category of "dumb-ass ideas". I slept for 6 hours in a nyquil-induced haze this afternoon, and as such I'm now blogging at 3:00 am. It seems like the last few weeks past by in a blurry haze.

Hosoi is back!

2005-01-26T09:00:00.000-10:00

hosoi is back!
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

In the midst of all the bad stuff going on lately,its good to remember the best news of last summer: Christian Hosoi is back!! For those who don't know, Hosoi was one of the biggest skateboarders back in the day. After the skate bubble burst at the end of the 80's, Hosoi and several other top pros fell on hard times. He actually was in prison for the last 5 years for shipping drugs to Hawaii, but he's been outsince last june, and reborn, literally. He's now a Christian (church-wise, no pun intended) and has hit up the stunt wood once again. I just found these pictures and had to put em up. He was spotted in hawaii last summer skating the Hickam Air Force base skate bowl right after his release, and if this picture is any indication, he's back in the game. Its awesome to see guys still ripping it up and skating because it's what they love. To get some perspective on how long he's been around, I remember going to the public library in 6th grade, n looking at books on skating. Hosoi was literally on every other page.

Will Smith does good with Hitch

2005-01-16T01:15:00.000-10:00

Back in Hawaii, and things have actually been good. It was totally random, but my buddy Rich and I got free tickets to a sneak preview of the latest film starring Will "big willy style" Smith. I didn't expect much since it didn't seem like a movie fit for the Fresh Prince. They were grilling everyone at the entrance for camera phones or video cameras, any kind of recording device. They told us a million times during our hour wait in line, yet we saw about 20 or 30 idiots get turned away for having camera phones! dumbass!. The movie turned out to be pretty funny, with Will as this date doctor that is able to get you into your dream relationship in 3 dates. Of course when it comes to himself, he screws it up at every turn. Yada yada yada, Will and Eva Mendez hook up in the end. A very pg-13 film, but you don't really notice since it is so funny. Those are the best kind of movies. I would rather have a movie be rated R, to keep it interesting, rather than water it down with a lower rating, but this is one of those few that can appeal to all crowds. Good to see Will back in the game. Highly recommend it to those who actually go to movies instead of downloading them. This is one of those suprise films that are actually good in january.

Christmas was good; New Years was blah

2005-01-01T19:51:00.000-10:00

Its been nice to be back in Cali for a few weeks, what with all the nieces and nephews now. Its hard to keep track. I ended out spending 200 bucks at friggin Toys'R'Us. Overall, I even made out pretty good on the presents angle. Heres my haul of gifts:
1. Poker Chip Set
2. Taschen's 1000 Favorite Websites book
3. Mr. T in your pocket --------->
4. White church shirt
5. Wienerschnitzel skateboard
The web book is pretty good, its all photos of tight websites. The best though, is the Mr. T in your Pocket. Its a keychain thing that plays all of Mr. T's best saying. You know, I pity the fool, and Don't gimme no jibbajabba. Its classic. My sister saw it on Leno's worst christmas gifts, and knew I had to have it. New Years we all sat around and played cheesy board games, pretty uneventful. I'm gearin up to go back home to Hawaii, but first I got the General Council Meeting with my Indian Tribe on wednesday. That always adds color to my month.

Infamous Pali Lookout

2004-12-24T15:44:00.000-10:00

Infamous Pali Lookout
Originally uploaded by russdogg.
I finally made it to California. My homie Travis turned out to be on my same flight, but the punk sitting next to me didnt want to move to Travis' spot. As soon as I got home I found out my parents' new house is going to be finished in 5 weeks instead of 3 months like originally quoted. That means I've been hauling stuff back and forth to their storage unit for the last couple days, and trying to convince my dad to throw away old junk he's been hangin onto for years. Its been nice to be home again, but also more of a confirmation that when I do finish school I'm not gonna be living at home!

Hell week status: finally over

2004-12-11T20:57:00.000-10:00

finally graduated... heres the proof!
Originally uploaded by me, Me, fool!.

Well, all week I've been trying to get all my finals done, and I finished my last math homework assignment at 8 on Friday night. Talk about cutting it close! My parents made it to the ceremony which was pretty cool. I still have 2 classes to take next semester, so I'm not officially done, but atleast the hard classes are done with!

My "final" finals

2004-12-08T02:06:00.000-10:00

More fun than math, 10 sec. exposure
Taken by me, fool. Russdogg. Believe dat.

Been studying for finals and bored as hell. My new camera's given me new ways to cure that boredom. My parents came in today, and they're staying at Laie Inn. It soo ghetto, the blankets even have huge holes in em. I graduate in 4 days... hard to believe, huh? I don't feel any different, but I don't think that's the point. Someday I'll figure out just what the point was. Tommorrow is my class' art show, but true-to-form I didn't make the posters till yesterday, so we'll see if anyone even comes! Did I mention Steelers won again on Sunday? Barely beat Jacksonville with a kick in the last minute. Haha. eleven and "Oh", baby. Peace.

Pain can be for a good cause, right?

2004-12-02T18:41:00.000-10:00

with finals this week and next week, my graduation ceremony, and my parents flying in soon for it, I've been super busy trying to finish all of my late assignments and homework I was to lazy to do months ago. In the midst of my hectic schedule, my roomates convinced me to join 24 Hour Fitness, a gym/health club. The way I figured, I'd be more likely to do stick to exercising if I'm paying for it. Its really really nice. Highly recommend it. I'm super sore though. I can barely lift my arms. but its all for a good cause, right? the best part by far is the fact that nobody bothers you, and you can dress however you want. (unlike my school's gym, where the dresscode is strictly enforced by some nazi employees) Oh yeah, the hot tub and sauna are nice touches. And I can go to any one in Hawaii, (and the rest of the US too) where they have olympic swimming pools and basketball courts and stuff. Who knows, maybe I'll actually get in shape for once in my life.

Vans Triple Crown 2004

2004-11-22T22:43:00.000-10:00

pink shirt guy
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Had to take my new camera, the Canon 20D, for a spin at the surf contest this weekend. Finally the waves are back. It's been flat ocean for a while then, boom, waves. It seems like the girls come out when there are waves, too. I borrowed the 300 mm lens from my work and took action shots of the surfers from the beach. the good thing about an 8 megapixel camera, is even if it looks tiny, you can crop it and it will still be great quality.

Basket-brawl in Detroit

2004-11-20T01:48:00.000-10:00

Artest beats down a Detroit fan
found by russdogg.

So I'm at work, watching basketball. I know, I know, I wasn't really working in a literal sense, but I digress. Pacers were playing the Piston in Detroit. Now I happen to be anti-Detroit, since they won the championship last year, so I was cheering for Indiana's Pacers the whole time. In the last 45 seconds of the game, all hell breaks loose. I'm talkin players fighting players, players fighting fans, kids crying, fans rioting, objects thrown at players including beer bottles, ice, popcorn, and even a freakin chair! This went on for like five minutes. The game was called, - whens the last time that happened? - and people were left in a daze having witnessed the craziest scene ever in NBA history, I'd bet. Basically, it went down like this: Artest fouls Ben Wallace hard, intentionally, but not too hard. Wallace gets crazy and slams both hands in Artest's face, throwing him backwards hard. Artest, who is always somehow in the thick of this stuff, realizes its a no win, and backs off. To prove he's doin nothing, he lays down and chills on the scorer's table. Everyone else is holding back ben wallace who is still goin crazy. Then, a fan nails Artest in the face with a cup full of beer. Artest jumps up, runs 5 rows up to this lil punk, and starts beating him down. Then it went crazy. Detroit fans are insane. Crazier than Fresno State fans, even.The coolest was Jermaine O'Neil, who punched this one crazy dude so hard in the face that the guy went sailing. Did I mention some fan threw a chair??? This is up there with, if not the, all time craziest NBA scenes ever. If i had my DVR set up I would have clips, but for now go to ESPN.com.

Steelers beat Browns like a red-headed step child

2004-11-14T10:57:00.000-10:00

Steelers stomp
found by russdogg.

Dang. Pittsburgh wins again! Getting sick of hearing that? Because I'm not. They're now 8 and 1. This game was a great win because of the huge rivalry between the two teams. There was even a fight before the game even started! And once again, our defense kept the others from scoring, while rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger cleaned house, all while lookin like he barely broke a sweat. Even with lead rusher Duce Staley out on injury ( I'd be hurting too if I rushed over 100 yards 4 games in a row) Last year, the Steelers weren't even considered as contenders for the playoffs. This year, one could easily argue they have the best record of the season. I'm predicting a superbowl win at this point. Mark my words. It'll be interesting to see who jumps on the fan bandwagon when they get to the playoffs.

ODB, R.I.P.

2004-11-13T22:20:00.000-10:00

ODB, R.I.P.
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

ODB, The Wu-Tang Rapper (Ol Dirty Bastard for those not into berevity) died a few hours ago. What a trip. He was in the studio had chest pains and died. This dude had been in trouble with the law and in and out of jail for some time now. I remember when he tried to change his name to Big Baby Jesus. That one didn't last. RIP, homie. I'll be sure to pour one out on the curb for ya. P.S. can I have those gold teeth with the diamonds in em?

New camera. It's sooooo sweet.

2004-11-12T23:40:00.000-10:00

BYUH dominated Tahiti
by russdogg.

Well, I got my new digital SLR. Its a Canon 20D. I've been savin cash forever for this badboy. Took it for a test run at my school basketball game. One disappointment about BYU-H; There isn't much student body support for the teams. I had a good time takin pictures all night. Our team played the Tahiti national team, and stomped them by 70 points! Tommorrow they play Fiji's team for the final game of this kinda weak tournament. Saw my ex girlfriend AND my stalker. Yay! I didnt talk to either of them. Wasn't in the mood. Lovin my 8 megapixel camera. Now I gotta do some work to make ll that money back.

my new pc, baby.

2004-11-11T23:41:00.000-10:00

my new pc
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

I've been building this mini pc (using this case) to serve as a dvd burner. Its turned into a project to build the ultimate media center pc. I'm using it to host all my iTunes music and burn dvds, when I get a little more cash I'm gonna put in a video card that can pause and rewind live tv, TiVo style, and record it to burn to dvd. Its pretty pimp... for a computer that is.

Bush is an idiot but I'm voting for him anyway...

2004-11-02T01:31:00.000-10:00

Man, Bush looks pathetic on T.V. He stammers, gives people the runaround when they ask him sensitive questions, and sometimes has that gulity kid look like he just got busted for eating cookies before dinnertime. All that aside, I'm still voting for him tommorrow. Kerry's even worse though. He's got that smug I'm-guilty-but-you're-too-dumb-to-notice look. Like that OJ Simpson guilty look. I don't know if OJ did it or not, but damn, he looked guilty! That whole mean stare down look Kerry gets sometimes is enough to swing my Democratic butt towards Dubya. MTV is making me sick. It's so partisan, and so pointedly democratic, but they try n act like they are giving a balanced view of the election. They interviewed Kerry but couldnt get Bush to come on so they kept repeating that after every point Kerry made. Gideon Yago's like "Kerry thinks this should be so-and so. But when we tried to ask BUSH how he felt on this, we couldn't get an appointment with him! So, we'll play some audio clip of what he said 4 years ago as his rebuttal." SO lame. And they always hype up Moore's "Farenheit" movie, which was so boring and seriously stretching to make any semblance of a point. Gideon Yago looked like a dog about to pee with excitement when he interviewed Kerry. If he was a dog he'd be sniffing Kerry's butt right now, or humping his leg. Oh, and Kerry keeps sayin how if he's elected he'll save our job economy, but our economy is finally on the upswing before him and if Kerry's elected he'll totally take credit. Both Kerry ans Bush just need to step aside let Schwartzanegger run for office. He'll crush those girliemen.

Steelers showed Patriots their "O" face. O, O, O....

2004-11-01T01:25:00.000-10:00

steelers stomp patriots
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Could it get any better? Not only did the Steelers STOMP the New England Patriots, but in doing so Pittsburgh broke the Patriots 16 game winning streak (including last year's superbowl) AND rookie QB Ben Roethlisburger is now 5 and 0. What a perfect way to end a great Sunday.

Ashlee Simpson, Mili Vanilli; seperated at birth?

2004-10-24T01:41:00.000-10:00

I got home last night, in time for a little Saturday Night Live. You know, its not as funny as it used to be. The funniest part however was unintentional. Ashlee Simpson was the musical guest, definately the ~~ugliest~~ least talented of the two sisters. On her second song, she came out, swayed around and... started singing the SAME SONG. BUT, the mic was at her waist, and her lips weren't even moving! Either this was a B kung-fu movie, or she was fakin it. Her recorded voice faded out in an echo, and her band just kept jamming. So what did she do? She did a jig. Thats right, she broke out in a good ol' fashioned hoe-down before she stumbled off stage embarressed. Good for her. You know, in the old days, rockers had to slave away in smokey hole in the wall clubs for years before they got the recognition. Rappers sold crack (well, maybe not Ja-Rule, but he sucks) till they got onto BET. Ashlee Simpson's daddy got her a deal. At the end of SNL she tried to blame it on her band playing the wrong song. Oh well. Only time will tell if this was the end of her 15 minutes of fame.

Steelers baby, we get ours!

2004-10-19T21:55:00.000-10:00

Pittsburgh baby, what!!!!! We back in this. 5 and 1. I'll admit I was skeptical about Ben Roethlisberger, the Steeler's new QB. Of course, thats cause I'm a huge Kordell Stewart fan (still!!) and still bitter about coach Cower's makin him be strictly QB. Anyways, ancient history. So I was hopin, but not expectin much from Ben, but he came through. 5 and 1 so far for my team. They even slammed the cowboys in their own house. Be expectin big things baby!

In the army now (minus Paulie Shore)

2004-10-14T22:54:00.000-10:00

my golf cart
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

The golf cart is alive! I hadn't driven my golf cart since the batteries went bad a few months ago. Since they're so expensive, I almost gave up on it. However, I decided to chance it and take the batteries back to Costco where I bought them. Costco seriously rocks. They didnt even look at them. They just gave me store credit and I got new ones! With my cart excitement renewed, I decided to "pimp" my golf cart (I'm using that term loosely) by painting it army green, to match the camo seat cover I made. I also bought some speakers and hooked em up to an old car amp. Now I roll to class with my iPod blasting, hehe. Tons of people want to buy my cart of me now, especially since its so perfect for a small community like Laie.

Engadget & my 2 seconds of web fame

2004-10-13T21:40:00.000-10:00

engadget.com
Originally uploaded by Me.

Well, my humble blog felt what it was like to be a real website for a few days. My previous post on Snoop dogg's iPod got linked to Engadget.com. usually my blog gets 10 to 20 hits a day from friends, family, and randoms. After the Engadget post on Monday, I got 700 hits! Crazy, huh? Around noon here in Hawaii i couldn't even log on to my own blog. Now I need to step up my game and write some stuff actually worth reading, or at least funny. Or maybe vica versa.

Snoop's iPod

2004-10-10T15:31:00.000-10:00

snoops iPod
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Caught this in Snoop Dogg's latest video, "Drop It Like It's Hot". A little advice: Don't drop it, even though it probably is hot. I doubt Snoop got Applecare on it. Sure 50 Cent did the iPod video already. And P Diddy iced it out first, but come on. P-diddy aint got nothin on Snoop. the Snoopy D-Oh-Double. My question: why's it gotta always be the HP iPod that gets the bling treatment? Haven't these gangsta rappers ever heard of Macs? The name's even fitting! He's even doing his "C-walk" around with it in one part of the video. Next thing you know theres gonna be gang-colored iPods and if you're on the wrong side of town with the wrong color headphones, game over man. Maybe Apple was even wiser than we all thought by choosing a gang-neutral color for their mp3 player.

I can't believe we still have that car!

2004-09-16T14:51:00.000-10:00

me as a baby
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Yeah, that blue station wagon is one year older than me, makin it 25 now. The sad thing is I learned to drive in that same car, and its still at my parents house! My parents are moving next summer so hopefully they leave the junked cars behind.

Three years later and its still a trip...

2004-09-11T16:01:00.000-10:00

russ @ WTC Marriot
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Man, I still have a hard time believing the World Trade Center is gone. I stayed the marriot between the two towers in july 2001. The Picture is from our room, and you can see the Ground Zero plaza before it was demolished. you can kinda see the edge of the big ball fountain. Right after that trip I moved to Hawaii and I've been here ever since, so I havent had a chance to visit New York Post 9/11. Its just so sobering...

How does this always happen to me?

2004-09-06T15:50:00.000-10:00

Tyrone A.K.A. "Roni Poni"
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

The only good side of my terrible luck lately is the fact that its all gotta even out soon and my luck will get better...right?

Island Football returns from the grave

2004-09-04T01:39:00.000-10:00

Island Football Magazine
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Well, consecutive nights of working till 4 AM have finally paid off; Our first issue of Island Football magazine This year finally got finished and came back from the print house. Its a magazine that covers all aspects of football in hawaii. High school football is HUGE in hawaii, since their high school players are often the size of NFL players. Hopefully I'll be able to put up the website soon... at any rate, we're back in business after a year hiatus. And yeah, thats a foosball table behind the magazine. We have mad tournaments in our house amongst the roomates.

damn, stuck in my room again...

2004-08-29T20:25:00.000-10:00

my fiji flag
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

New semester started, and it's been crazy up in hurr. I just finished the layout for next month's issue of island Football magazine. I've been doin so much work lately that I've been stuck in my little room all day workin! That sucks. The only break I get is to go to class or my other job at the newspaper! Check out my Fiji flag, fools. Holler!

Go robot, go robot, go robot...

2004-08-17T00:57:00.000-10:00

Robot-7
Originally uploaded by robotgirl.

Theres nothing better than going to a late showing movie with a friend who is as obnoxious as yourself! Case in point, I, Robot. The movie "loosely" (see: not at all) based on the Isaac Asimov novel. I got to admit, it was better than expected. Given this summer's cinematic crap-fest, for e.g. King Arthur, Harold & Kumar, and (shudder!) AVP, I didnt expect much from Will "big willy-style" Smith. But the movie was okay! It made it alot better that whenever I made robot noises to spice up as boring part, everyone else in the theater laughed. To achieve the full effect, after watching I, Robot, watch the episode of Sealab 2021 called "I, robot". It is so funny, you'll cry laughing. Go pirate that cartoon off Kazaa today!

A return to super chill

2004-08-15T01:39:00.000-10:00

roomates suck
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

Its weird coming back to the islands after being in California. I went from doing stuff almost every day with one of my siblings or parents,constantly driving places at top speed, to absolutely nothing. Not that its a bad thing, its just how life is in Laie. my friends and I had to force a trip to the mall in an attempt to achieve self-entertainment. On the way home we were behind some fool driving 35 mph, and I wanted to take off my shoe and throw it in his face as I passed him. But then I remembered that the speed limit is 35 through alot of Oahu, and figured some of my family's road rage had rubbed off on me during my visit. I felt a million times better after a nap. Really, all adults should have a naptime, especially at work. can you imagine how much less stress would be in the workplace if everyone took an hour nap after lunch? It seems that somewhere in the middle of precious pre-teen youth "the nap" loses its coolness, and its only after years out of practice we realize we shouldve been napping all along! I think I'm on to something. Let me brainstorm on it after another nap.

Gotta love "Hawaiian Time"

2004-08-10T21:39:00.000-10:00

accidentes
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

I'm finally back on the island. Its good to be home but I already miss Cali. It was nice to be home with the fam. I had to wait 2 hours at the honolulu airport for my friend to pick me up, but i finally made it home. On the way home we say the movie "Collateral". Tom Cruise is a crazy mutha. Jamie Foxx (see "I might need security") didn't disappoint, either. The movie looked like it was filmed of a digital camera or something. "Manchurian Candidate" was way better though. Damn, that movie was crazy! That same night I had some crazy dreams that I was in the movie. I thought i might be some brainwashed "Al Qaida" or something, but I figured if I was, I'd probably drive a better car.

its El Capitan, fool!

2004-07-27T22:50:00.000-10:00

This mountain is insane. Honestly. This picture really doesn't do it any justice. Crazy fools rock climb El Capitan all the time and it literally takes days! They sleep in little tents or in hammocks that they bolt to the side of the vertical face! Think about that for a second. Yosemite's a trip!

El Capitan
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

yo yosemite

2004-07-26T21:57:00.000-10:00

Well, I'm still in Cali. My damn family convinced me to get my flight changed to 2 weeks later. So I'm still here in Fresno. Why the hell would I stay 2 more weeks in 105 degree weather? Dont ask me. I'm tryin to make up for it by hittin up all the places I havent been to forever, like Yosemite. That place rocks.

russ_yo_small
Originally uploaded by russdogg.

-Haha! That guy wrecked!

2004-07-15T22:46:00.000-10:00

-Dude, isnt that your brother? yeah.Thats basically the coversation between my brother Carl and his buddy. Wait, rewind... First of all, this weekend at Pismo Beach rocked! Camping on the beach, riding quads on huge sand dunes all day, shootong illegal fireworks, watching two of my brothers drink ther asses off, and watching hippies burn a giant effigy made entirely out of junkmail. Could it get any better? no, but it sure could get worse. I flipped my brothers Honda 450cc quad, which to him was no biggie cause he also has a new yamaha yfz 450cc quad, and flipping it did nothing to it except break off a 5 dollar flag. It was a big deal to me though cause it rolled over me and it was damn heavy! As a result I bruised a bunch of ribs and also can't move my left arm more than a few inches due to (presumably) some torn tendons in my shoulder. Of course my lack of insurance does nothing to help the matter! Thanks to up above I was born a half caste! Since I'm Indian I got a free check up at the good ol' Indian Health Clinic. They just gave me a perscription for beefed up Motrin since its an anti-inflammitory, and I'm getting an x-ray tommorrow. When I figure out how to post some of my pics on here you can see the quads and hopefully my x-ray. Oh, and I'm for sure buying a quad now. Being a dumass and hurting myself aside, it was bitchin!

Every indian wants to be the Chief...

2004-07-09T14:06:00.000-10:00

Its my native duty... well not really but you gotta be wondering, why else would I drive 5 hours each way through the Mojave desert just to sit in a hot room and listen to a bunch of people swear at each other? I'd like to say that my sole motivation is "responsibility and duty" since I am related to them, and it kinda is, but its also got alot to do with money. Why else would I waste time with a bunch of people who don't like me solely because of my last name? I hate to sound shallow, but my cousins can be really mean, especially when they are arguing over something they really don't know much about. My brother, the Chairman of our tribe, is working hard to to make our tribe a lil cashflow, but he's receiving alot of opposition from other tribal members that hate my family because we don't live on the reservation anymore. It doesn't matter if my brother has excellent ideas; some haters down there hate the idea if they didn't think of it first. There are so many opportunities for a "sovereign nation" in the state of California to make some serious bank, but you gotta work hard at it. I went down to the reservation to vote on some of these issues, and to check up on the status of my 1 acre parcel of land just chillin down there waitin for me to build my mansion and retire at 35. So hopefully "the gods" are smiling down on me. Maybe it's in my blood, but I really have no desire to have a 9-5 job and the sooner I make my bankroll the better, ya heard me?

Goin, goin, back, back, to Cali...

2004-07-05T01:26:00.000-10:00

Hell yeah, I'm goin home! My sister Alisa convinced me that I need to come home for a couple weeks during my summer break. I really didn't want to, but now I'm stoked. I managed to weasel the school's digital camera for the trip, so theres gonna be some quality photos after the trip, for sure! My mom is picking me up from Oakland, so I'm gonna try n see if we can swing by San Francisco and hit up the Apple store. For sure gonna hit up the local Indian Casino when I get to home and get my gamble on (and hella cheap steak dinner). Oh yeah, thats the main reason I'm going home. Our tribe, Fort Independence Indian Reservation, has a big meeting where they are going to vote on a workman's comp plan that alot of state officials in California are gettin worked up in a frenzy over. The article is in the archives here at indiancountry.com Hopefully the end result is I make some bank off of this! Cha-ching! All of you reading this that I owe money will be paid ASAP, I swear! This workmans comp deal has potential to make me rich. Also, the new deal that Governor Arnie has set up letting more gaming compact deals in Cali can make me cold cash, if it all works out. Holla!

My car breathes once more...

2004-07-03T16:27:00.000-10:00

My Prelude has been reborn. Way back in February, my little car died out of the blue and wouldnt start up again. Talk about a bad way to end a date. A week later my girlfriend broke up with me; one of my friends said its cause i didn't have a car anymore. I like to think its cause I'm a huge Lakers fan and she's all about the Kings (see Shaq's comment re: the Queens) Anywayz, I had the car towed back to my place because my landlord said he would fix it. He is an amazing mechanic, but he's always super busy. Well, I reminded him alot about it but I didnt want to be bugging him all the time. Finally, four months later, on Tuesday, I was talkin with him in his garage and he was like, "lets check out your car really quick." So I popped the hood, and seriously in less than five seconds, he was like "Heres your problem." What the hell! After waiting four months, it took him five seconds to diagnose it. At any rate... he got the parts and now I'm rollin again!!! It feels so good to be able to go somewhere whenever I want to; or at least go further than my golf cart can go with the batteries charged up.

SpiderMan II: Oh HELL nah!

2004-07-01T01:23:00.001-10:00

Endless rehashing of the same mix of frustrated puppy love, survivor guilt, and identity crisis as the first one. Is that a good enough description of Spidey 2 for ya? I can't believe how much this movie sucked!! I mean, don't get me wrong, I didn't really have high hopes for it since I hated the first one, but still... I was desperate enough for something to do tonight that I went to the sequel of a movie I hated, and got exactly what I deserved. I would've had more fun if I stayed home by myself and watched the Queer Eye Marathon on Bravo. This movie so boring, and is rife with cheesey scenes: from the little kids who thank Spiderman in unison, to the infant that helps spiderman climb up a ledge in a burning building, to the chinese lady singing the off-key Spiderman song, to the bad acting, to the... need I go on? I hated the first one, but a year later I had forgotten just HOW much I hated it, and now it all came flooding back like a repressed childhood beating. The best part is how all week MTV has been touting Toby Mcgwire as this awesome hunk, and they kept replaying the same two-second scene over and over of him taking his shirt off. Face it, he's a scrawny geek, picked to fit the part of Peter Parker who is supposed to be a scrawny geek. Just cause he's the star of a "mega summer blockbuster" doesnt make him Hansel (who, by the way, is so hot right now). Basically, if you liked the first one then you'll probably like the second one. Of course if you liked the first one you probably need to be punched in the face for being such an idiot. The best part of the movie was making fun of it the whole time and purposely pissing of the couple in front of us ;)

having no internet sucks...

2004-06-30T10:29:00.000-10:00

Once again, Oceanic Cable decided to turn off my internet. I don't know why, sure we havent paid the bill for three months, but isn't there some kind of grace period? I mean come on... Luckily my neighbors have a wireless router so I'm mooching off them. I would just as easily say forget about it and use theirs since they wouldnt know, but its just barely coming in. I have to go stand out on my balcony sometimes and wave my laptop around in the air to get a signal...