Another pic from the drive

Another awesome sight! Looks like a rocket car?

Dong-da-dong-dong!

While driving to Temecula, we saw this truck. Not just any truck, but a truck that says Dong!

I got it a day early!!!

Ha ha! I just got my copy today. One day early and I'm reading right now!

Ray and Teddy...Napping Buddies

This picture was too cute to pass up. Ray and Teddy taking a nap. If only the two of them were always so angelic and peaceful.

Our Seats At The Fray Concert

These are our seats at The Greek Theatre for The Fray concert. The girl on the right has dreds. We are pretty far back, but the seats are in the middle so we have a home view. I'll let you know how the concept goes later! Peace!

Damm the HOA to hell

So I decided to go to our quarterly HOA meeting this past Tuesday. Where do i get started? Well, let's start with the committee. It is comprised of three builder representatives, two reps from the property management company and two homeowners (only one of which showed up). This lone homeowner on the board is one of the most ignorant people that i have ever met. Yes, he's black, but that is really not the reason why I can't stand him. If I were the only homeowner on the board, I woould be making an effort to change things rather than just passively agreeing to everything that the property management company proposes. I know he has a difficult job, but he volunteered for it. So with the board comprised of mostly non-residents, it is pretty much impossible to get anything done. The board is alway making rules and decisions that adversely affect the homeowners or our pocketbooks. Here are a few examples:

- The board decided to disable the gate code without consulting the residents and without even notifying us.
- The board decided that we should just continue with our pest service even though they have done nothing about our rat infestation.
- The board decided that we should purchase Terrorist coverage because "it's only 40 dollars"
- The board decided that we should pay for a traffic study even though there have been no reported accidents in community, EVER!

To summarize this board meeting in a few words, it was "a waste of time". The only benefit from it was that I got to piss them off. The board seems to limit the time for "open" discussion so that they can all leave on time. If they were really concerned about homeowners, they would hear out all issues, especially if the homeowner took the time to show up at the quarterly HOA meeting.

Have you ever wondered how many people actually show up to the HOA meetings? We have over a hundred units in our community and only about 5-8 people actually show up. The meeting room is a tiny study room rented in the library. The most that this room would fit is about 40 people. They damn HOAs know that less than 5% of the homeowners actually show up, but I believe that's the way it should be. Homeowners shouldn't have to show up to these meetings. They trust that the board of directors will have their interests in mind when making decisions. Boy are they in for a rude awakening once I make my rounds!!!

I'm setting a goal to have at least 30 families represented at the next HOA meeting. I've already created a site and now all I have to do is market the site. The site is designed to show homeowners what the issues in the community are and give them a chance to respond or propose solutions. What I think and hope will end up happening is that the homeowners will see that the Board is not cutting it. Maybe I will be making picket signs pretty soon and even have news coverage!

Nothing Good On TV?

During this time of year, there really isn't anything good on tv. You try to channel surf for something worth watching, but you always end up back on the food network or MTV. At what point will the TV stations realize that we need shows during the summer?

Regardless, I can't wait for Heroes to come back on. In my opinion, Heroes was the best action packed show on TV. Heroes made Jack Bauer (24) forgettable and LOST feel, well, lost. There is something new learned every episode of Heroes and it never leaves you feeling empty like some shows (LOST in particular). I found this little widget on the Heroes site and I thought it was funny enough to share. Enjoy!

Drinks On Ricks!

Derrick took us out for drinks on Friday before the wedding. As I wasn't allowed to have a bachelor party, Ricks decided to take us out for drinks at Candle Light in Simi Valley. Derrick drove me and Anna while Susan and Lauren followed us. Gary, Kristal, Sammy, Debbie and Matt show up later because they were waiting for Matt and Debs to arrive after missing their flight.


The night started off slow because we were waiting for the rest of the gang to show up. As we were waiting, Ricks friends kept showing up and he kept introducing them. I don't think I even remember one person that he introduced me to. Anyhow, this is what I had to drink (i think).

1. Cadillac Margarita
2. Cadillac Margarita
3. Corona
4. Heffenweizen
5. Shot of patron (with extra tequila in the lime)
6. Half of Anna's purple hooter (it's a drink)

The girls raised up to purple hooters before we left. All of them sipped at it except for Debs, who downed it "like grape juice" (her words). I was impressed, the last time I heard about Debbie drinking was when she went to Aruba and drank so much that she puked behind the towel shack.

Anyhow, I was impressed by Ricks too. He picked us up, drove us to Candle Light, took us to in-n-out and then took us home all in one piece. Thanks Ricks!

SEE THE REST OF THE PICTURES

Extra Jalapenos Please!

I've decided to make it a point to upload at least one camera phone pic or any old pictures until I have posted all me them. This is a pic me me at the Chargers game on New Years Eve. Extra jalapenos please!

This Is Why I Hate To Fly

Normally I am okay on flights, but for some reason I wasn't able to relax on our flight to St. Thomas. Our flight started in L.A., transferred in Atlanta, then continued to St. Thomas. Total travel time was about 11 hours. On the flight from L.A. to Atlanta, I had a little Indian girl fall asleep on my arm. I didn't understand why she kept leaning to my side when she could have been leaning against the window. I had to keep waking her up cause I was getting uncomfortable with he thinking I was her daddy.

On the continuing flight to St. Thomas from Atlanta, I sat next to this guy that looked like Joey Chestnut (The new hot dog eating champ). The video above shows that this guy had fallen asleep with his mouth wide open. What it doesn't show is how he kept jolting awake and leaning on me. I really don't know how people can actually sleep on planes when they are only a few inches away from a complete stranger.

The travel home from St. Thomas was not that bad. Aside from getting stuck in Atlanta, the actual flight was not bad. We watched "Blades of Glory" on the plane and while that was going on, the person sitting next to me had let me copy music from his external hard drive. He didn't have anything new, but I was able to get some old music from him that I had been looking for. I fell asleep on the plane ride back from Atlanta to L.A. because I finally got the window seat.

I wish flying were more enjoyable. I really dread long flights. It would also help a bit if the people that worked for the airlines were a bit more customer oriented, but that's another blog post in itself.

Kwik-E-Mart

Anna and I went to the Kwik-E-Mart today. For those of you who haven't heard, there have been twelve 7-Elevens in the U.S. that have been converted to Kwik-E-Marts in preparation of the Simpsons Movie. Click here for more details. The movie is scheduled to come out on July 27.

We waited in line for about 5 minutes before we could get in. The first thing we saw was Ralph Wiggum licking his popsicle, Homer eating two hot dogs, Maggie on top of the Buzz cola machine, then Chief Wiggum in the back eating a donut and Apu at the front of the store. We took as many pictures as we could to show all of you that don't have a store near you. If you want to see them, click here. Supposedly, 7-Eleven has created a few Simpsons inpired products including Squishees, Buzz Cola, Official Pink Movie Donuts, KrustyO's cereal and Radioactive Man Comic Book. We were able to get Squishees and the Pink Donuts, but they were all out of everything else. We looked at two other 7-Elevens after that and still had no luck finding them. Oh well!

My First Tomato...

...off of my tomato vine. I'm so proud. Isn't it a beauty? I don't know if I'll be able to bring myself to eat it. Anyways, I have been doing some gardening in our very small space called our backyard and decided to dabble in some veggies and herbs. The dirt in the back is less than conducive for growing anything lest it survive, so I was a bit weary. However, after the rose bushes and gardenias we planted survived and flourished, I decided to attempt something worthwhile...vegetation you can EAT. Well, I thought hard about the few items that I'm always buying at the market that always seems to go to waste because I only needed a handful and that's how I decided what I would plant. What better than a tomato vine for some homemade salsa, which by the way is ginormous now...along with basil and parsley. Alas, my strawberries did not fair so well and didn't even sprout from the seeds that I planted. But everything else came out great. Now, onto more. Any suggestions?

Our Wedding Cinema Reale

Here it is, the "Cinema Reale" that played at our wedding reception. Finally, we can actually share it with people that missed the wedding, people who missed it at the wedding, and people who just want to see it again. Post comments to let us know what you think. Have you ever seen someone do this? Is it cheesy and corny? I think that our videographer was a genius. For more info or larger view, please go to http://dvartistry.blogspot.com.

MOVIE- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Anna and I went to watch the latest Harry Potter movie last night. For those of you who haven't watched it yet, I won't spoil the movie for you, so you can continue to read. I thought this was the best Harry Potter movie so far. There was lots more magic/spells/charms performed which meant that there was a lot more action in the movie. Overall, I would rate this movie a 4 out of 5.

Since this is a blog, I do want to mention the idiot that was sitting next to us. As always, there is always someone it the theatre that "acts-a-fool." Unfortunately for us, he had to be sitting 3 seats down in our same row. When the movie started, the idiot began to annoy me with his gay laugh and obnoxious comments. I don't remember what he said exactly, but I remember looking over a few times. Throughout the first part of the movie, the idiot kept pulling out his phone (with the ultra-bright screen) and texting. I wouldn't mind if it happened once or twice, but after the 5th or 6th time, I couldn't help but lean over and say, "Dude, can you put it away?" Luckily, he complied and said "sorry." However, before the movie had ended, his phone began to beep annoyingly because it was low on battery due to all the texting he was doing earlier. The guy didn't want to turn off his phone because he knew I was already irritated by the ultra-bright screen that would turn on if he pushed any buttons. Needless to say, his phone beeped every 10 minutes until the movie was over (about 2-3 beeps).

Aside from that, I had a great experience!

Don't Mess With Granny!

A friend at work (He whU shall GO unnamed) sent this clip to me. It is a clip of some old lady punching another lady. Man, I wish this clip went on for a little bit longer. I wanted to see the swelling start to form or at least the tears start to pour. I must have watched this clip at least 20 times in a row. Anyhow, enjoy!

Teddy

This was cute Teddy pre-bad haircut mishap with The Little Lion Mobile Grooming. Boy! That sure was a mistake. Nevertheless, this is Teddy's daily welcome pose when I return home. This is how he greets me.



This is Teddy after his horrible haircut...and he's still recovering months later. He went from a cute Yorkie into a Velociraptor.

The George Lopez Special

The infamous "George Lopez" special is as big as the dixie plate that it is served on. If you think you can finish it, it will only cost you six bucks and you can only get it at carrillo's in san fernando. Good eats!

Rafael Furcal Bobblehead!

Anna and i went to the Dodgers game on Friday night for Rafael Furcal Bobblehead night. This is the picture that I sent to Bobby's phone. He was mad at me and didn't want to talk to me cause he loves bobbleheads, especially when they are free with admission.

Actually, the real reason for this post is because I wanted to try a new feature that I found on blogger; the mobile blogging. I just send an MMS to go[at]blogger.com and it will automatically post to my blog! Pretty nifty huh? So now, not only will Bobby get my picture message on his phone, but he can read about it on my blog! =)

Anna and Raymond in the water at Trunk Bay

I just created a flickr account to host and share all my photos and saw an option to "blog this photo" so I wanted to test it out. Flickr is actually pretty cool. They host and backup all your pictures for free (limited to upload 100mb per month) and you can create all sorts of stuff thru their affiliated sites. I actually paid the 25 dollars for a year of unlimited picture uploads. I figure I will be putting more pictures up in the future and I didn't want to deal with being over the limit.

I named this blog "If Bobby can blog, so can you" because the only other person that I know with a blog is my cousin Bobby (http://robwontonsd.blogspot.com/) and his alter ego Slant Eyed Bargain Hunter (http://slanteyedbargainhunter.blogspot.com/). This title will change as soon as I figure out a better name for it.

Anna and I just got back from our honeymoon in St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands), so those pics are up. We should hopefully be receiving our wedding pictures and videos from our photographer and videographer soon, so come back soon to see those!

Until next time...