Chocolate Train

So the MBTA have been making headlines as of late. First off because a loophole has been found in their new fancy turnstiles. Apparently you can fool the exit sensor into thinking that someone is exiting the station and therefore give you access without paying.

I gotta say that I've never thought of this. I was sure there was some sort of failsafe, but I should have expected as much from the MBTA. While people do utilize this method for getting around the fare system, others (the more ignorant and stupid ones) just break the the damn things.

As much as I hate to admit it, the T has gotten a slight bit better over the years. They still have a long way to go but at least they're headed in the right direction. Most of the improvements are paid for with our money, and I can understand getting around the turn style which only screws the MBTA out of a couple bucks, but breaking the things not only screws us out of about 2k worth of damage, but slows down the flow of foot traffic cause we have one less turn style to utilize. Fuck you assholes.

Now after reading that you would assume that I'm currently in a bad mood. I assure you that is not the case. Actually I feel pretty good, not sure why, but I don't care. Even after what happened this morning, I'm in high spirits.

So I make it to the station unscathed and jump on board my train to Boston. As usual the T was up to its usual standards with half the cars having soaked seats because of the sudden downpour of...

CHOCOLATE RAIN/
Some stay dry/
T-Riders feel the pain/
CHOCOLATE RAAAIIIINNNNN!!!

Untitled.. cause I'm too tired to come up with one.

I had a dream not too long back. First off let me start off by saying that, I'm a firm believer that dreams have hidden meanings. They open your eyes to things that you may or may not be privy to.

This dream was in the form of a action movie. It took place in what I could only describe as a dock or ship yard, and a very large one at that. This ship yard was enclosed and on one dock there were a squad of soldiers, special forces or whatever you want to call them, getting ready for execute a mission next to a waiting helicopter.

On an adjacent dock, was me. I wasn't alone, I also had a female partner. I wasn't sure what role she played in the scenario. I wasn't sure if I had just saved her, or if she was saving me, or if she was just my partner.

I felt as if I was part of that special forces group and that I had to get to them before they took off. Sounds simple enough. I headed over to them as fast as i could, but did not make it in time, for a few reasons.

The woman who was with me wasn't your standard damsel in distress. While she was able to keep up with me with no problems, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was holding me back somehow. That however, wasn't the main reason why I didn't make it. Right before we got to the chopper a man, who I can best describe as looking like a...red neck, blocked out path.

Not only that but he was armed with a crossbow, which he fired into my leg. As you can assume, I was highly irritated. The redneck said something, but I don't recall what it was and the dream ended soon after.

The message? There have been subtle signs in my life that have been directing me to take a new path in life. However, this dream was telling me that I'm making decisions OR that there are people or other obstacles that are hindering my progress. If not dealt with, these obstacles will doom me to failure. And I, personally, don't feel like failing.

Time to find some horcruxes. =P

Sox vs Yanks: When Enough is Enough

There are about 30 Major League baseball teams, however, if you're a true Bostonian (and member of Red Sox Nation) there are only two. The others are just guys who show up to play every now and then. Now I'm all for chanting "Yankees suck!" and "Jetter sucks A-Rod," but sometimes people take it a little too far.

So today after leaving work I was feeling a little, "spicy." So I decided to head on over to Quincy Market in Fanueil Hall for some drunken noodle at a little Thai place there. On my way over I pass a big crowd of people who were surrounding a group of street performers. Now I've seen these guys before around Boston, and they're pretty good. Their talent is basically break dancing, and various acrobatic tricks.

So we're all there watching them perform when one guy starts yelling at one of the performers. At first I wasn't sure what he was yelling about, maybe one of the performers did something to piss him off.

The guy kept pointing at the performer's head and yelling (clearly disrupting the show) and it was then that I realized what he was yelling about. The performer was wearing a baseball cap backwards and when he turned around he revealed that it was a Yankees cap. Now usually when I see someone wearing Yankees paraphernalia or that of any team for that matter, I could give two fucks. I have more important things to worry about. And clearly this crowd also didn't give a damn what hat he was wearing, they just wanted to see a show.

It got to the point where this instigator looked like he wanted to start a fight. The performers, in traditional clown fashion, poked fun at him and encouraged the crowd to join in. The instigator eventually left after a few words with, who I could only assume was the head of the group.

Now there are a lot of bars in this area so it's a good possibility that this guy could've been drunk. However, with many Red Sox fans, its kind hard to tell sometimes.

777

You feelin' lucky punk?

I swear its the gun powder...has to be.

When Babylon a Come Around

Collie Buddz out today. So far one of the more original reggae albums I've heard in a while. If you're a reggae fan this is a must.

Salem: Love it or Hate it

I live about 15mins away from Salem, MA and for the most part I love the town. Its a small city with a big history. I enjoy it for the atmosphere and for the most part there are many shops within waking distance of each other that cater to my lifestyle and interest. Game stores, army/navy (lots of cool stuff in here if you've never been in one), comic book shops, and all other kinds of "nick-nackery" [lev].

Its a very nice place, but it wasn't until yesterday, when my friend and I caught a bite to eat in the down town area that it came to me. At the corner of Essex and Washington there's a statue of Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played Samantha in the tv series Bewitched. The statue is of her on a broomstick flying past the moon. It was then that I realized that there are a lot things in the city that glorify and profit off of the deaths of innocent people during the witch trials. This statue was just in bad taste.

There are many places in the city that try to educate people on the history of the city, but then again there's a lot that works against this.

She's baaacck!

Its been a rough couple weeks, but today I was finally able to crack a smile. Mostly because tomorrow is Friday but also because of Pearl.

Beat the Press...with a Bat

I know it's been a while since I've updated this thing, and every day I tell myself "yeah I'll do that tonight." Truth is that I'm making moves and procrastinating all at the same time. LOL. Yeah I know it doesn't make sense but thats what if feels like. More to come later.

Anywho what finally made me make an addition to the blog was (one) request by a Mr. Juliano to make an entry and (two) a segment on Countdown discussing Paris Hilton's appearance on Larry King Live.

Why Larry King made the decision to kick Micheal Moore for Hilton is beyond me and in the end it 'ended' up biting him in the ass. Now celebs go to get arrested, go to jail etc. for a number of different crimes, all the time. What makes this so special?

The bitch goes to jail for less than a month and finds Jesus!? And now she feels that her experience was so harrowing that she needs to waste our time on a well respected talk show? Not only that but she lied about her substance use. This needs to stop. I would hope that the media learned from Larry King, but I know better.

Train them Young?

The other day I walked into my room and on the tv was this Nerf commercial. For those who don't know Nerf is world renown for their "soft" sports products and toys. They have all sports basically covered and are also know for their wide range of suction dart guns. (Which are fun as hell btw).

So I'm watching this commercial, which I thought was a normal toy gun commercial, when I realized that the gun was bigger than the kid carrying it. I can understand the need for simple toy dart guns...but a sniper rifle?! This gun doesn't just fire darts, but fires them with with enough velocity to give it the range of a sniper rifle. At least I hope it does, it would be pretty pointless if it didn't. It has a clip, scope and cocking mechanism. It's basically modeled after the M82 rifle seen here, but a bit bulkier and...purple. (0_O)

Now don't get me wrong, this thing is fucking cool and makes me wish I had something like this when I was a kid. It does, however, make you think...as we take real guns off the streets should we be replacing them with plastic versions of more powerful weapons? I understand that Hasbro is a business and doesn't necessarily promote violence...just makes you think...

But You Don't Have to Take My Word for it

So Friday night during our March blizzard I put the car through its snow test. It passed with flying colors, especially white, as it plowed through the snow drifts created by plows crossing intersections.

Upon reaching my destination fun times were had by all at my friend's birthday gathering. It was during a game of "What the fuck!?" that it happened. I was reading one of questions when someone said that I had the best narrating voice he's ever heard and if he ever had a show that needed narration, that I would be the man he'd pick. And then references to Levar Burton and Reading Rainbow ensued... something about us being black, I don't know. Anyway I have never in my life heard anyone compliment my voice before. As for being a narrator, I don't really like the sound of my voice when its recorded. While I'm on the subject I don't really like to be video taped ether. Just something that bugs me a bit.

I thought the St. Patty weekend would be dull due to the inclimate weather, but it was anything but. Each day there were drinks to be had, green panties to catch on film (err memory card?) and cars to race. Oh and I can't forget about making fun of all the noobs on the street around BU who couldn't hold their liquor. :P lawf


Cheers

Needs more Mojito

I always applaud companies for trying new things, even when they fall flat on their faces. Today I experienced one company's endeavor to innovate in the chewing gum industry. The PlenT packs from back in the day are gone, and new brands of all kinds have taken their place. Dentyne Ice, Stride and Orbit now fill the gum section of your local store's candy shelves, and you can find them in a lot more variety than gum from back from when I was younger. For the most part they're all variations of the same mint flavor, with the exception of Orbit who dares to be different.

I had one of those "different" flavors today. I was walking by a co-worker's desk when I noticed his pack of Orbit gum. By the way, this is my preferred gum at the moment. At first I thought it was the "lemon" flavor (which I've had and have mix reviews), but boy was I wrong. The flavor was Mint Mojito, and it left us all pretty breathless...sorta.

You know whenever you see a gum commercial the person usually exclaims "Wow!" after putting it into their mouths? Well I've never done this before with any gum, and I don't know anyone else who has, until today. I took a piece and "Wow" was my initial response, actualy "Whoa!" was my initial response but you get the idea. "Wow," was also the response that I got out of another co-worker who witnessed me take the first piece (or was it "Whoa," eh I don't remember). It's about as close as you can get to a mojito in gum form. Odd thing was that I felt kinda "funny" after a while. Maybe it was the sudden shock of chewing a popular cuban cocktail..eh I don't know.

Because You Know I don't Read the Newspaper

So when people hear where I'm from the next that follows is, "Is it a safe city?" This is because my city has had a history of violence of all kinds, the most notable is gang violence. Another crime that isn't as rampant as it once was, but still present is prostitution. Which is the source of the city's nickname..."the City of Sin."

For the time I've been here I haven't experienced a rise in violence, and when people ask me "Is it safe?" I usually respond, "Yes, its about as safe as any other city." This for the most part is true, but a few weeks ago something made me rethink that response.

I picked up the local paper one night and read a headline regarding a shooting that had taken place in the downtown part of the city. The shooting happened on a main street and it was a driveby (I think, I read this a while ago). The man used a Tech 9 and shot two men. I don't think anyone was killed, but I was kinda surprised. I was even more surprised when I read that this was the 6th shooting since the year started (it was mid February when I read this). Maybe I should start reading the news paper more often. :P

Make way for the S-O-Veeeee!!

After going back and reading that last post, I realized that it sounded kinda rushed. I think it was late when I was typing and I wanted to go to bed.

So over the weekend I decided to get a cd visor case for my car and I figured while I was at it I would pick up a new cd to go with it. I decided on Lady Sovereign - Public Warning. For those who don't know Lady Sov is a rapper from across the pond. I've heard of her before but didn't actually get to hear her until the MTV New Years thingy they had on tv. Even then however, I wasn't convinced, but the other day I decided to take a gamble. The cd was only ten bucks, which is good cause I wasn't going to spend any more.

The album is ok, has this old school kris kross feel...not to sure how I feel about that but it's a fun album. However this artist is only to be enjoyed by those who have a open mind and are not too serious about their music, definitely not for hardcore hip hop fans.

Currently playing:
the Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap and Metal Gear Acid (both games I've had forever and haven't finished :(). Oh and I can't forget about Warcraft: the Burning Crusade. Ya know I thougth I would spend an unreasonable amount of time with this expansion, but the exact opposite has happend. I no longer have that burning desire to play any more. I'm taking things a lot slower now, while all the addicts blow by me. lol
Currently reading:
Warcraft: Day of the Dragon, and will soon get into Freakonomics: Revised and Expanded Edition. I purchased the original and loved it so much that I didn't think twice about buying this newly revised edition.
Currently listening:
India Arie - Testimony, Lady Sovereign, Nelly Furtado - Loose, Lupe Fiasso - Food & Liquor.

IM IN UR GRARAGE STEELIN UR WHEELZ

A strange title for this entry, or better yet a unique one for a unique day. For today I turn 25. I originally planned to do a whole retrospective on my life, but at the last minute decided to give a few thoughts on my first 25 years of life.

People refer to me on this day as "old fart," "old man," "old fogey" etc etc etc. Most of them being only about a year younger and knowing damn well that 25 doesn't feel any different from 23 or 24. Another big question on this day was "what did you do on your birthday?" I was never big on birthday's. Didn't really care much for drawing all the attention to myself. Never needed it, and never really wanted it. However, this being the day that I celebrate turning a 1/4 of a Century old...I decided that this deserved a special gift. A gift that basically untethered me from...well whatever I felt I was tethered to.

It has definitely been a interesting ride. I've made many allies those who do and do not know who they are...and many enemies, again who do and do not know who they are. For those who don't know, trust me it's best that it is kept that way, but do know that it is being kept that way for a good reason.

Today (2/6/07, yes I'm writing this from the future, two day in the future) I realized that my life has been filled with a lot of foolishness. I know that sounds odd, and you're probably confused but at this moment that is the best way I can describe it. Many people look back on their lives and say "I wouldn't change anything!" while lifting their chin and sticking out their chest in defiance. I say...FUCK THAT! Knowing what I know now, I would definitely change a lot of things and make a lot of different decisions. I also came to realize...

...that I can still do all of this.

Cheers to another quarter.

Thank God its Not Friday

Ok so I know that it is indeed Friday, but I really wish it wasn't. Luckily for me, the day is almost over. I'm not sure when I realized this but for as long as I can remember Friday's have sucked for me for a long time and today was no different.

May it be work related or personal...Fridays suck. I actually feel a lot better on a Monday morning than I do on a Friday afternoon. The only good thing about Friday is that Saturday comes right after. I don't know what it is, maybe I'm just out of tune with everyone else but up until this point Friday's suck.

Oh btw...I do not recommend purchasing cars from Ernie Boch. Sure you get a good deal but you pay dearly in service/communication.

Tazo

I first came across this tea in Starbucks but wasn't sure how good it was to justify the "Starbucks price." Luckly my manager happened to have some of this tea for me to sample. I liked it and being lucky again found it for a cheaper cost in my local supermarket. It had ten different teas in one pack which was great.

For you tea lovers this is recommended.

Hacked!

So I decided to logon to myspace like I do every blue moon to see what was happening. The first thing that caught my attention was numberous post my sister made on the message board. I was going to ignore them at first, like I always do, but then I noticed the subject lines and how they seemed to repeat themselves.

One talked about how slutty this one girl was and how I should look at one of her pics. It also directed me to a site where I can see more of these slutty pics. Now normally I wouldn't be put off by slutty pics but since these were assumably posted by my sister something didn't feel quite right. Another talked about how women lie when they say that size doesn't matter, which is true but again this message showed up more than once which then lead me to believe that my sisters account had been hijacked...by terrorist no doubt. :P

Dreamgirl

The other night I had a dream, a good dream. From what I could derive from it...i was traveling. I didn't know what my destination was or why I was heading there, but what I did know was I was determined to get there and I will make it. I had a few bags but they were large, larger than I would normally like to carry on a long journey. Goes to show what situation I was in since I'm already doing something I wouldn't normally do. From the looks of it, it seems as if I hitch hiking across a great distance. Was I crossing the United States, or maybe one state or two? Was I going away from home, or towards it? The most important question was “why?” Why was I on this journey? To this moment all of these questions remain unanswered. However I can make general theories about the purpose of my trip.

During the journey I was picked up by this girl who assists me for what I assume is the final stretch of my trip. During the ride we talk, but in my dream it played out like a montage with no dialog. Just images of us...connecting. Talking, laughing etc. You can see it in our eyes that we truly enjoyed each others' company. And you can also see that we were also connecting on a much deeper level.

The dream ended with her dropping me off at a bus stop (or station I don't remember) and me readjusting my bags while a bus approached.

When the dream ended I wondered if the reason why I was on this trek was to...find her. And if it was to find “her,” why did I let her go so easily? Was this a foresight of things to come, or was this a reenactment of things that have already come to pass?

One thing that stuck out was the bus at the end. I was standing there adjusting my bags so that I could carry them more comfortably, but I don't believe that I was actually going to get on the bus. I didn't feel like I was supposed to. I feel that I just happened to be standing at a bus stop and that I was to continue my journey in some other fashion.

The main reason for writing all of this is to not lose the major aspects of the dream. I actually had this dream a lot longer than a few days ago, and I've been debating on if I should make it public. After some thinking I felt it best to use this space as a white board to do some analysis on this dream, and get some insight from my peers. To be continued...

CoDWii

It's actually called Call of Duty 3, but since the Wii version offers a different experience from its competitors I decided to refer to it as Call of Duty Wii. (^-^) Ok onward!

So I picked this game up today because I finished Zelda and was iching to see what else the Wii had in store for me in other genre's of gaming. First person shooters are a fav of mine on the PC but not so much on the console. Many love Halo, Gear of War etc, but I just can't play with a controller after using a mouse and keyboard for so long. Luckly the Wii came along.

The gameplay felt a little wierd to me at first, but I got used to it. The Wii controller feels very natural for the the FPS genre and I'm looking forward for more in the futures. One thing I could've done without was the scripted event where you're fighting for your gun with a Nazi. It seems that this was added last minute to show off the motion control of the remote, but definately could've been left out. It seems that with the current CoD developers Treyarch, a lot of things are scripted. I can't wait until Infinity Ward picks it back up and brings the series back to its roots.

Many sites give this game a 7 or 7.3...at the moment I'll give it an 8, unless I find something terribly wrong later.

IPhone

This week was a big week in tech. The biggest news was probably from Apple with their new Iphone. This was the most speculated products of our time. For years people have wondered whether or not Apple will jump into the mobile communications market, and this week they did it with a bang.

When they started integrating phones with cameras and mp3s I was somewhat hestitant to adopt the technology since those three products (at the time) acted more efficiently independent of each other. As time went on technology got better, so did the desegregation of these products.

I instantly wanted the IPhone when I saw it, and saw what it could do, however I did have my reservations. While having all this stuff in this unit is great I hate the fact that it sacrifices battery life for convenience. Now some of you may say that this is a small thing to get upset about, but if I can't get the same amount of use out of and integrated phone/mp3/camera/pda then I don't really need it at the moment. In time when I'm ready to actually put money down on the thing battery tech will probably be a lot better. Not to mention that a new verison of the IPhone will be out .

One thing is for sure, I will definitely put down 600 bucks on an IPhone before I think about spending the same amount on a ps3. (^-^)

Unseasonal

Is it just me who is uncomfortable with today's weather? 70 degrees in January..in Boston? Yeah definately something wrong with that. While I didn't mind it as I ventured out in a t-shirt, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this is all gonna come back to bite us in the ass.

In other news I'm on a quest to collect all the zelda games. I remember doing this before with the need for speed series (still missing Carbon). After playing Twilight Princess it has reawakened my interest in this series. I enjoy a good story, so I tend to read up on the back story for games that I play. Call me what you will, but for the amount of money that they charge for these things I do this to get my money's worth. Usually quality developers like Nintendo usually give you more than what you pay for, which is what a good company should always do. Many can learn, and earn from Nintendo's business model.

Keep the customer happy with quality low cost products and they'll always come back for more. Oh and not raping their wallets for all that they've got works too. ;)

Btw, the game that I'm missing is Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages.

Happy Lucky Number 07

Hope everyone had a good new years. Overall I would have to say that '06 kinda sucked. Wasn't able to get everything I wanted done and I ended up wasting a whole lot of time on an endeavor that I knew was going to eventually fail. Gotta watch out for those road signs! (^-^)

Thank goodness for new beginings. For some reason I have this feeling that this is going to be a good year...either that or the current assclown in office could plunge us in to World War 3 before he gets the boot. (-_-) Let's hope it doesn't come down to that.

Cheers to another year.