Nicknames

Throughout my entire childhood, I was never given a nickname by anyone. But then over the last four years, they've been falling from the sky. I thought I'd take the time to list some of them here:

Chachi

Mrak, Mr. Ak, Map K

Big Head

Jew Boy

Obviously these aren't all of them. I'm sure there are some out there that I don't know about...or aren't said to my face...like a$$ hole and other expletive-minded ones. No offense to my current nicknames, but I'd have to say Chachi is my favorite. I'm not sure why though. Maybe it's because it was the first nickname I'd ever been given. Maybe it's because I can't get anyone at school (Clemson) to call me by my actual name and since college was such a great time in my life, I'm rather partial to it.

So, if you ever see me around or write to me, please feel free to call me by any of the aforementioned names. I won't mind.

World Trade Center Plan

The plan for the World Trade Center has been chosen. I must say that I like the look of the two new buildings, as well the fact that they will be the two tallest buildings in the world standing at 1,776 feet. I think it is amazing that every year on September 11, the sunlight will be directed to a specific area in a public square during the exact times that the terrorist attacks occurred. It just goes to show you how advanced and precise our technology has become. Wow!

Team Bad Guy

My freshman year of high school was the last time I ever played any sort of organized baseball. At the time, I was playing on a club soccer team, while trying out for the JV baseball team. My soccer coach asked me to decide between playing baseball and soccer. He wanted a true commitment from me, where I would dedicate all my time and efforts toward one goal. The decision didn't come easily. Although I had more natural talent at soccer, I always loved playing baseball and didn't really want to give it up. To be honest, I was a little angry at being asked to chose between two things which I enjoyed, neither of which I wanted to give up. After a few days of thinking, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to have any future playing a sport, it was going to be in soccer and not baseball. And that was the end of my illustrious baseball career....that is...until now!

About a month and a half ago I was asked if I wanted to play on a softball team. After about milliseconds of mulling over whether or not I should come out of retirement, I said yes. So I went to my closet and dusted off my father's baseball glove, which he got as an 8th grade graduation gift and tried it on for size. Obviously it was too small for a softball, but hey, what can ya do? So now I am active player for the Team Bad Guy softball team. Things are looking good for me as the starter at second base, but things can change...gotta keep workin' hard.

I'm excited about getting back into the swing of things (no pun intended) and hopefully this season will be the first of many successful seasons for Team Bad Guy.

...Oh yeah...and on a side note, I'm from ColOmbia, not Cuba, and not Columbia, with a "u".

Ready Campaign

The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a new website, www.ready.gov, designed to prepare and educate Americans about possible terrorist attacks. The website is a part of the "Ready Campaign", which began in some cities yesterday.

Car Search

Hate is a strong word. I try not to use it often. But when I think of my current car, a 1997 Camaro, I cringe and think about how much I truly hate it. Now don't get me wrong, I love the look of the car, but I have had problems with it almost since the day it was purchased. Everything from a blown computer to engine stalling to new alternators dying...just to name a few. Some of these problems are so bad that I feel less safe whenever I get behind the wheel. Thus, I have begun the search for a new car.

The early front runners are the Cadillac CTS and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, more specifically the Limited Edition. I am looking for a vehicle that I feel safe when driving, isn't a gas guzzler, can control the road, doesn't break the bank, and that looks slick to boot. I know both cars don't fulfill all of these criteria, but I doubt that very few do.

River Dell runs wild in the ATL

It's been a few days since my last post, but I have a good reason I promise. My old high school friend Dan was in town from New Jersey as well as another friend that is at UGA Law School, Jon, thus I had to show them around.

I could recap the entire weekend, but that would be boring. But here are some of the highlights:

1. Sushi is expensive...especially at Genki. Dan was able to flex his muscles of fine Chinese beers.
2. Fado, a pub, in Buckhead...not so great. I am biased because I'm not a big fan of that kind of bar.
3. The difference between The Hand In Hand and The Darkhorse in the Highlands, is that The Hand In Hand is a larger, more upscale, less crowded bar with a great atmosphere, while The Darkhorse just sucks due to its small, overly-crowded feel and "run of the mill" bar attitude.
4. Dan's face while getting a lap dance at The Cheetah was priceless, and one of those moments that you will always remember about a friend.
5. There are a bunch of southern plantations in the metro-Atlanta area, much like the ones from Gone with the Wind. It was an amazing history lesson and proof that hard heads like Jon can still enjoy some of our country's history.
6. Midtown is cooler than any other part of Atlanta to party in. The Front Page News in midtown is better than the one in Little Five Points. The newly renovated Club 1150 is wilder with the new additions.
7. A blizzard a day prior to returning home can cause some travel issues, i.e. Dan is stuck in Atlanta until at least Thursday...3 days longer than expected.

More to come later....

Ironically, me literally effected by bad grammar utilization

I was perusing the Internet and found this article on poor grammar. I was excited to see that one of my pet peeves, the difference between less and fewer made the top 10. I think if everybody followed these rules, the world would be a more boring place.

The Lion King: The Musical

I had the pleasure of seeing The Lion King (the musical, not the movie) last night at the Atlanta Civic Center with a couple of friends. I was extremely excited to see a show, since I don't get to see as many as I used to when I lived back up in good ol' New Jersey. I was slightly skeptical though. The last travelling show I saw was Rent in Greenville, SC. The lighting and sound systems at the Greenville Arts Center were less than spectacular, thus leaving me to wonder if all or most travelling productions lack the quality of their Broadway relatives. This was not the case though for The Lion King.

I would have to consider myself somewhat of an "unofficial expert" when it comes to Broadway musicals. I have seen over a dozen different musicals, some more than once, in New York, London, Greenville, and now Atlanta and I can honestly say that The Lion King is the most creative, and refreshing show I have ever seen. Ignoring the facts that acting and sets were very good, as was the plot (almost identical to the movie), I would have to say that the headlining themes for this show are the costumes and puppetry. The show did a wonderful job of having the actors and actresses interact with life-size, human manipulated puppets. All the wildlife and creatures from the movie were accurately and vividly portrayed in many different colors, styles, manners. The show had everything from 18-foot giraffes to a mouse only a couple of inches tall. The sheer magnitude of what the show accomplished on stage was awe-inspiring. According to the playbill, "it took 37,000 hours to build the puppets and masks"...not what used you used to do in art class back in grade school, eh?

I would have to recommend The Lion King to anyone who truly enjoyed the characters and music from the movie, and especially anyone with children. It has a little bit of everything for everyone...that is if you enjoy this sort of thing like I do. Overall, I'd give it a B+.

Dell Dude Arrested

Who would have thought that this guy would get arrested for drugs...honestly!? Who throws a shoe!?

Kate's Club

Last night I attended an event hosted by Kate's Club, a non-profit organization dedicated to "building positive experiences for children grieving the death of a parent through interaction in the local community." It doesn't take much to get involved with a charity, or any group with a cause for that matter. If you have any free time and/or resources, consider giving what you can to improve the quality of someone else's life.

Please don't try this at home

Please use this conversation as an example of how not to pick up women: an excerpt from a conversation last night at Cherry.

Foreigner (To the cute girl): You look kinda Elvish.
Girl (Baffled): Huh?
Normal Guy (Baffled): ...
Girl (Slightly offended): What does that mean?
Foreigner (Backpedaling): Have you ever seen Lord of the Rings 2?
Girl (Slightly angry): No.
Foreigner (Still backpedaling): How about Lord of the Rings 1?
Girl (Slightly confused): No.
Normal Guy (Trying to cause trouble): Are you telling her she looks like one of Santa's helpers?
Foreigner (Getting flustered): No.
Normal Guy (Still trying to cause trouble): Does she look like she should be making toys in Santa's workshop or placing wrapped gifts under Christmas tree?
Foreigner (Very flustered): No! She looks like that girl from the Lord of the Rings! What's her name?
Normal Guy (Finally trying to help out): Ya mean Liv Tyler?
Foreigner (Relieved): Yeah! That's who I meant! She's gorgeous and you remind me of her.
Girl (Confused, but relieved): Oh...ok. I guess that's a compliment. Thanks.
Girl (Leaves rather frightened wondering what just happened):

The moral of the story here is: computer geeks + alcohol + cute girls don't mix.

Please don't try this at home!

Pics from the past

Just sittin' around. Thought I'd post some of these photo links. Check 'em out:


New Year's Eve in Connecticut

Sutton Place Bar (New York City)

Sarah's cousin Alex's Bar Mitzvah

Ok, so let me start by giving a shout out to Robert O. for getting me involved with the "fad" known as blogging. His blog, bump.net is world renowned, as is his vernacular. I've never met a person who knows so much, about so much, in my life. I suggest if you have any sort of questions about the meaning of life, definitions of words, or anything at all, drop him a line and see what the wise Ming has to say.

This is my first post ever! How exciting! Just testing out the waters right now.