I was a bit “under the weather” the other day.  To be clear, I had a minor migraine and some tummy trouble.  Checking notes, yes, clinical terminology, tummy trouble.  That’s why I didn’t post on Tuesday.  Aside from that I’m having some trouble with things.  I’ve lost pretty much all the momentum I was building in practicing productive routine.  I am exercising with Fitbod five days a week, and I’ve only missed a few days out of the last forty-five practicing on Duolingo.  I have not, however, gone out to open mics regularly.  I haven’t been writing everyday like I planned.  I’m not even close to done packing.  This whole week so far my sleeping has been fucked out right.  I could use some advice to this point of structuring and maintaining the good habits I started around the end of December.  Feel free to offer any tips you may have.  There are a few ways to get in touch.  The contact page on this site, instagram, bluesky, just look around I’m there somewhere.

     I did halfassedly start kind of cleaning the other day.  Did you guys know that Mr. Clean, the corporation owning that brand and not the actual ‘Mr. Clean’, if ever there was one, makes a new Magic Eraser that uses a “handy grip”?  I got a “starter kit”, they say starter kit and it’s just a foam handle and one Magic Eraser.  It’s less a kit and more of a sample.  That said, I’ve always been of the mind that Magic Erasers get super-fucking-gross very fast and that after using one for two minutes I don’t want to touch it anymore.  Not unlike many women on a date with me.  I get it, I tend to sweat a lot.  But that’s not the point.  This product should’ve been and in all likelihood was created about two minutes after the Magic Eraser.  I will admit that finding this product the other day I did buy it, and about three or four days later I finally used it and now my shower is marginally less disgusting.  At this rate, I’ll moved out by February 27, 2057.  Also, the Magic Eraser Grip works well, the erasers stick to the face of it with some pseudo-velcro thing, it holds really well considering how deep was the grime in my shower.  The thing I’m waiting for is the Clorox toilet bowl flame thrower.  I don’t see how anything less can clean that toilet now.

     I have been putting some work into my player aids, I guess we can call them, for the games I run primarily for the podcast.  I have some material for that by the way, and I’m thinking I’ll actually sit down and edit now.  I made a couple versions already of these aids already but then I noticed, of course after I finished them, but there issues with text size, and the clarity of scanning some of the original texts resulted in numerous spelling errors and other structural issues.  I went through everything and corrected all that and now I’m remaking all the charts with larger images so that if I ever get to the point of printing them, they’ll be readable.  I’ve replaced a handful of those power charts now but there’s still a bit of work I need to do.  And then I finally looked into it and the information I’ve found is that the Spider-verse Expansion for the Marvel Multiverse RPG is supposed to be released on March 18, 2025.  I can’t wait for this one!  I looked at the entry for it on Barnes & Noble and among the pages previewed there are character sheets for The Lizard, who was always one of my top ten Spider-man villains, and a character sheet for Spider-punk.

     By the time this posts, I would like to think that I actually got up and started doing things I need to do right now.  But I anticipate that I in fact, got up and walked back into my bedroom and started watching TV again.  God damn it I am lazy shit pig.  I WILL start muling out some of the mountains of trash throughout my apartment and rethink some things in my life.  Alright, you all have fun, I’ll write again for next Tuesday and ideally by then I will have gotten my shit together and accomplished something.  Until then, I guess, we’ll see.

I’m having conversations with people about apartments now.  I got a call back earlier and I’ll be sending out more feelers tonight and ideally more conversations tomorrow about some of the apartments I’m looking at.  I can’t wait to get home.  I’ve been thinking more about running a food truck too.  Anyone who has suggestions, feel free to throw them out to me.  One thing I’m thinking is simple burgers and fries, and such.  I’m thinking about different recipes for the beef, cheeses, the usual toppings, perhaps some less usual toppings.  I had some thoughts about incorporating some Laotian cuisine.  I may work in some of that gradually after things get going.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll work up burgers influenced by other cuisine.  We’ll see.  I may try out some recipes while I finally get packing here.

     Now that I’ve had a conversation about an apartment I can visualize more effectively how I’m going to decorate and ideally configure my new studio.  I’m watching White Collar and I’ve been thinking about trying my hand at painting.  I’ve thought about that from time to time and just haven’t taken the time to invest into it.  I intend to get a drawing table but maybe I’ll get an easel and some paint too.  As a child most of my art was pencil and ink on common white paper.  I never really worked with colors until I started illustrating on my iPads.  I was always interested in painting but I didn’t want to invest the time, energy, and resources into something like that just for it to suck.  Also, I’ve been catching a lot of videos on instagram and all where people are painting and mixing colors.  It’s pretty interesting seeing how so many different artists employ so many different techniques and accomplishing such extraordinary results.  I just don’t know what I would want to start painting.  The obvious would be comic characters.  Super heroes and such.  We’ll see, though, over the next few months.  I may add painting to my repitoire.

     I can’t wait to be back home.  I was never fond of the heat but the valley will always be home.  Walking Oxnard Blvd. and stopping at 7 Eleven for some “nachos” on my way home from my high school.  My nightly pilgrimage to In-N-Out.  Walking through VNSO in the middle of the night after In-N-Out.  So many years I’ve lost being stuck in this shit hole state.  I’m genuinely excited…I think is the word.  I’m not used to presenting ‘positive’ emotions.  Just a few more weeks and I can start to salvage this bullshit existence.  And now it’s time to start making things happen.  

Yesterday I was having a little tummy trouble.  I decided to order some food seeing as I had no interest in getting up out of bed.  My tummy feeling better enough to try something new, I ordered something from Noodles & Company.  It was pretty good.  I ordered some Chipotle Chicken Cavatappi, Cheesy Garlic Bread, and a Rice Crispy Treat.  The pasta was a solid dish.  It has some good spice and the noodles were prepared perfectly.  It’s pretty hard to screw up cheese, garlic, and bread, that said, the Cheesy Garlic Bread is really yummy.  I have to say, though, THE best part was the Rice Crispy Treat!!!  First, that thing was the size of my hand.  It was almost a team lift.  I could barely hoist it to my mouth.  Again, fucking huge was this Rice Crispy Treat.  Then, it was fresh.  It must’ve been made that afternoon.  It was so soft and chewy I had to check my kitchen and make and make sure they didn’t sneak in and use my oven to make it here.  Long story, short, I think I’ll order from Noodles & Company again in the future.

     In other news, I mean news in so much that sometimes things happen here.  I think I just finished an entire tube of toothpaste.  Myself, beginning to end.  I think this is a first.  My entire life there were other people, or the tube was thrown away when it was almost gone, or I get bored and buy a different toothpaste only to get home and find that I still have half a tube.  Maybe I’ve managed to finish a tube before now but I don’t recall.  I get this may not seem like a big success, or a casual success, or even a real one but I don’t have anything else right now.  I’m a single middle-aged man what’s dying alone and only just now moving back to a real city when I’m too old and decrepit for worthwhile women to be attracted to me.  And yes, that sentence would sound less run-on and more comically rambling if you heard me read it out loud.  

     I’ve been thinking about work things the last couple days.  I was reminded earlier that food trucks are a thing.  What then would be an interesting food truck?  What is something that hasn’t been done in a food truck?  I was thinking that a truck making bag lunches would be fun.  I wouldn’t necessarily need to be cooking anything.  At first anyway.  Also, I could swing that one with a Vanagon and that would be a good excuse for me to buy a Vanagon.  Alright, I need a nap and some other things right now.  Until next time.

This week has been a mite wonky.  Full transparency, I’m falling into old habits.  I am aware and conscious of this and am actively working to fix that.  I’ve been taking care of a few things while I have some money.  And now I’m typing with some gloves on.  They’re pretty thick so, I’m impressed I’ve typed so well just now.  Ok, now back to work.  I don’t actually have anything right now.  This may be a short post.  By the way, if anyone has a topic they’d like to read here just feel free to reach out with the contact page.  Otherwise, more likely than not, I’ll just be writing about whatever old TV I’m watching.

     That said, I hadn’t watched The League in quite awhile so, that’s what I’ve been watching the last couple days.  Just starting season four right now.  One of the funniest shows not about football.  There are times I wonder if I were ever to have a child whether I name them Chalupa Batman.  I’m not saying I want to name a child Chalupa Batman but I would like to always have the option.  

     In any case, I need to wrap this soon so I can make the deadline to post this on Thursday and right now I have about twenty minutes.  I’ll be better prepared for Tuesday.

The other day I woke up to an episode of Stargate SG-1 and I was reminded just how talented a performer is Michael Shanks.  The episode is titled Lifeboat.  The episode starts with the team investigating a crashed ship.  While looking at equipment determined to stasis devices Shanks’ character Daniel Jackson is hit with some kind of energy wave.  He regains consciousness and starts presenting unusual behavior, speaking in a manner not at all Daniel Jackson.  Throughout his run on SG-1 he voiced the character Thor, and portrayed the character Ma’chello as both Ma’chello himself and Ma’chello inhabiting Daniel Jackson’s body.  An interesting piece of work. He’s even portrayed very difficult conditions that are always hard for me to watch because his performance was extraordinarily close to my own experience.  Now, in Lifeboat, Shanks portrays something like four or five different and distinct characters with rapid switches from one character to another.  Some people would think “He’s an actor, that’s his job.” and other things to try and diminish this statement but watch a few people try and do this and then watch Shanks’ performance in this episode and then tell me with a straight face that this performance isn’t top three at the very least.  Also, I just watched a clip of his interview on Dial the Gate where he shares a life-or-death experience from his time on SG-1.  And for the record, I say all this being SUPER jealous that he’s married to Lexi Doig.

     Now, back to our regularly scheduled…my bitching and whining I guess.  But not so much!  I’m getting my affairs in order here so I’ll be able to cut my ties to this shithole state and get moved within the next month.  It’s again an odd sensation knowing my net worth isn’t in parentheses.  I need to start seriously packing, though.  I still need to figure out how best to transport some things like my production desk in the studio.  I’m sure I’ll have to dismantle it to some extent.  The thing is that I’ve cobbled together certain pieces to accommodate the equipment and the furniture components are differently shaped, let’s say.  The more I think about it the more it seems I’ll just have to disconnect everything and pack up all the equipment normally and then reassemble everything later.  It’s not a terrible thought in any case it’s just tedious.  And not knowing exactly where I’ll end up ultimately, it’s difficult to visualize how I’ll reestablish the studio right now.  Nonetheless, I can’t wait to be back home.

     I spent many of my teen years walking three miles of Van Nuys Blvd. in the middle of the night, going to In-N-Out Burger to feed myself when my “mother” couldn’t be bothered.  I look forward to being able to visit that same institution regularly again.  A place where I experienced so many good times, find solace from the bad times.  My friends and I celebrated and commiserated so much there.  One place I truly hold sacred.  And then time cherished loved ones and all that.  Just one more month in my exile.