There are several issues I would like to address tonight, thus the reason for this rare appearance i'm making on my own blog.

One: The resurgence of old school video games like pong and the mario brothers on old platforms like nintendo, atari, and the like.

It appears as though this return has become quite the trend setter for the hipsters and indies. This observation might be the influences of a new project at work, or the fact that everyday on my way to the garage at work, i pass by a cart that is selling plug and play controllers with several games built right in. However, my suspicions of this rapidly growing trend was confirmed by a trip i made to target yesterday.

While strolling by the guys tshirt section, i came across a tshirt that had an image of a nintendo controller affixed upon it. My first reaction was to get one for my brother. Everytime someone asks him about it, he would be able to say his cool sister got it for him. :-) My second reaction was to "think about" getting one for myself, in my weak attempt to be cool. My third reaction was to walk away in disappointment as there were no other "nintendo controller affixed image" tshirt anywhere, other than the one on display (which was not for sale).

The fact that there were no more nintendo tshirts available for purchase prompted a lightbulb to go off in my head, reaffirming that yes, this has indeed become quite the trend.

However, this trend was definitely not the first.

A couple years ago i noticed the popularity of old school video game music remakes. Indie bands like Ozma, Mr. Bungle, and Estradasphere all had great versions of those catchy tunes from the games we love. Whether or not video game music is still a continuing trend, i've long lost track. But i'm sure once this new "old video game" trend is at its peak, I'll be hearing those beloved tunes once again.

Two. If you proclaim yourself to be a nerd, are you really still a nerd?

Are real nerds ever really aware that they're a nerd? My theory is, if you have enough awareness of your nerdiness, then you are aware of your actions. To me, there are several levels of nerdiness, and a real nerd is one that is not aware of how others perceive them. Unless, you self-proclaim yourself to be one in order to fit in with the counter culture folks. Y'know, those who wish to be unconventional and unorthodox in their ways. So if you realize you are a nerd, maybe you're really not a nerd? But if you are a nerd, and you want to counter those who go out of their way to be unconventional, then aren't you really just plain conventional? In one word...normal?

To sum up, when is one ever "cool?"

If you're a nerd, you're considered uncool. If you're a nerd with a nintendo shirt on, you're considered indie cool. If you're cool by nature, you're considered uncool by the anti-cool, which may or may not be the nintendo shirt wearing, self-proclaiming nerds. Mario wears uncool red overalls. Yet the person that wears him on a shirt is cool. When do we draw the line? Aren't we all the coolest nerds in our own way?

I rest my case.

It seems peculiar to me that for the past couple of Saturday mornings, I've found myself out driving here and there in the eleventh hour of the morning to get such and such a task done. And for some strange reason, i've found myself changing the radio stations, bored with everything, and finally landing on kcrw's Saturday morning eleven o'clock hour radio program.
These programs are great. They're stories about people from real people. They're enlightning and engaging. Often i've found myself already at my destination, but still sitting in the car trying to listen to the end of someone's amazing story. This past week, i found myself almost tearing up while listening to this woman's account of her dying husband. A couple weeks ago, i sat in my car, in a parking lot in amazement at this guy's story about how his very own apt. made its way on the show, The Bachlorette, and the following events that changed his life.

I guess its not that wierd that i've been in the car each week at the same time listening to these other people's lives. But to me it is. It's not like i remember each week that this show is on at 11am saturday mornings (i'm not even sure i will remember now, even after blogging.) And to not remember that it's there, but to come back to it repeatedly and getting so much out of it...that to me is fate.

Today i had bad allergies in the morning and then had worse allergies when i got to work, only to realize with my sneezing, nose running boss at the end of the day that it must be the new AC unit we installed yesterday.

Today in my car i saw an old man riding his bicycle and it was such an endearing sight that i found myself laughing out loud.

Today i got carded at trader joes even though last time i didn't.

Today as i sat eating my burrito while watching the michael jackson impersonator across the street on hollywood blvd, i realized just how great a song "The way you make me feel" is...not to mention "Man in the Mirror."

Today i made a grape spark in the microwave, and then proceeded to have another show 15, and 20 minutes later.

Today was not the greatest day i've ever known.

Today i had a cute shirt on and flexed for my coworkers while they admired my shirt (or pretended to admire my shirt when they were really admiring my flexed muscles.)

Today i think i actually had 2 servings of fruits and vegetamables each, which is alot for me...

But right now, i'm sitting here thinking about you, and wondering what you're up to.

Hey party people.

I blog again. I know, its hard to believe since i've been gone for so long. Nothing too exciting has been happening. Except that today is cady's birthday. I hope she's having a good time at the Padre's game.

Nothing too much to report. Haven't had a celebrity sighting in a while, though some coworkers did get to sit near Ashley Olsen in some Japanese restaurant. So i guess i've had a celebrity sighting by association...um...yes.

So i guess i haven't been blogging much because i don't have too much to rant or rave about. In fact, i'm not really sure you're that interested in this blog even as you read this really long sentence that seems to go on forever and ever and ever.
(Ha ha, i jus made you read a long boring sentence for nothing! Sucker!!!)

At times like these, i suggest you refer to my archives. Theres some good ones in there, just fish around for it. Try October 15, 2002. It has a good analagy about tofu.

So rather than have me sit here and waste words away, i'll come back when i have something significant to say.

Peace out homies.