L.A. Drummer Meets Manchester Guitarist

Guest post of the week by Brittany Booker

I'm a drummer in a local L.A. rock band and we were just getting started with gigs in the West Hollywood area. Rehearsals usually start about 4 PM and can last until we drop some twelve hours later. As usual, I'm out the door at quarter to four, set my Homealarmsystems home security alarm system and head out for the studio. One day, I stopped at Pink's Hot Dogs for my once a month chili dog splurge and ran into a great guy from the UK.

Alex was just visiting here, doing the usual tourist traps along Hollywood Blvd, but we got to talking about music and found we had a lot in common. He plays guitar with a band in Manchester, and who knows, might one day want to hook up with a U.S. band in Los Angeles. Alex and I talk almost everyday online and even set up a camera for face to face chats. We're two straight guys that really hit it off, and I believe there's an underlying reason for everything. Maybe one day we will play together in a band, but for now, our long distance friendship is a huge support system for each other in the music business from California to Lancashire. I've already been out to visit him once and had a great time checking out the Manchester music scene. Just goes to show you that your best friend does not have to live next door. With today's technology, he or she can be living anywhere.

Reckless Driving

Hey there.  Last night as I was driving home from work, a reckless driver cut me off, nearly smashing into me, and hit the car to my left.  The speeding car then bounced back into my lane and I had to swerve to my right to avoid the collision.  Luckily, no cars in the lane to my right, which was surprising since it was an off ramp and cars are usually exiting the freeway during rush hour.  So I was forced to get off the freeway... 

I pulled in a parking lot right off the freeway and just sat there for a minute.  This jack ass was going somewhere closer to 60 mph when everyone else was closer to 20 mph.  He was definitely going fast enough where he bounced off another car...  I admit that I was a little shaken up so I made sure I composed myself before venturing back on the freeway.  I wonder if the passengers are ok.  Because I was forced off the freeway, I couldn't see the extent of the damage done and I don't know if everyone walked out of the wreck ok. 

You know, it's not the first time that I've avoided catastrophe on the freeways, or the streets of Los Angeles.  It seems like people are here just drive around so recklessly causing all sorts of accidents.  There is never a day where I don't hear something happening on a freeway causing major delays.  I understand that some maybe accidents but I'm sure that many could be avoided if nobody took to their inner road rage and drove around recklessly.  Be careful, people.  Even though you're following the rules of the road, all it takes is one jack ass to screw it up for a lot of people.  Stay safe.  Later.

BCBG Sale Nov. 20th

Hey there.  I'm spreading the word on the BCBG sale that is going to be going on this Saturday, November 20th.  I know that many are familiar with the BCBG Max Azria name and these kind of sales only happen once or twice a year.  So, if you're in the Los Angeles area and are looking to score some designer clothes, stop by and get yourself some high end stuff at dirt cheap prices.  Details are in the flyer below.  Later!

Kirk Hammet Kicks Ass... And Kids?!?!?!

Hey there friends. I love Metallica. I've seen them a few times when they're in the Los Angeles area and they put on one awesome live show. A staple of theirs during the Death Magnetic Tour is hundreds of beach balls falling from the ceiling and everyone in the stands punches them and the band members kick them off stage. Well... the below video shows what may happen when "unauthorized personnel" in on the stage. Hope the little guy is alright. Later!

Thanks for the link, Enigmageek!

Los Angeles Lakes Are the Best Team in the NBA

Guest post written by my buddy Keith Kramer

I am so glad that I get to watch preseason NBA Basketball on Direct satellite tv. It gives me a chance to see a lot of different teams and gives me a good idea as to hat teams may be good this year. My favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant is one of the best all-time basketball players in the entire history of the National basketball League. I am so glad that Kobe Bryant is on my favorite team. I really enjoy watching Kobe play and I like to cheer him on, but I may not feel the same way if he played for a different team.

Phil Jackson is the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and he is simply an amazing head coach. I expected a lot out of Kobe and Shaw when they were playing together but Shaq failed. Kobe is doing much better now that he does not have to deal with the dram that constantly surrounded him and Shaq when they did play together.

Phil Jackson is one of the best coaches of all time and he is coaching Kobe who is one of the best players of all time. The best coach combined with the best player is why I have high expectations for the Lakers to win a championship again this year. The Lakers are a strong team and they will prove it once again.

Earthquake? Which Earthquake?

Hey there.  There have been a lot of talk about the "big one" hitting southern California today.  That's right, TODAY.  And to be quite honest with you, I think it's all a bunch of crap.  First off, you cannot predict earthquakes.  Scientist have had a go at it for decades and they still cannot predict when an earthquake is going to strike.  Now, I'm not saying that they are nowhere in regards to earthquake prediction.  What I am saying is that by the time they know one is going to strike, the rest of us know too.  lol  So why all the earthquake talk?  Because of Twitter messages like this...

Yeah, that says 6.5 to 7.0 earthquake TODAY.  This has caused all kinds of panic in the Los Angeles area.  Listen people, we cannot predict earthquakes yet.  The fact that this person is saying that there's in earthquake happening in southern California is not new.  Believe it or not, we have more than a few earthquakes here a day.  It's just that they are of low magnitude that we don't feel them.  But how do we know they happened?  Cause those above mentioned scientist have trying to find a way to predict earthquakes that they've found a way to measure even the smallest of movement in the Earth's crust!  Now relax people.  No need to panic.  If we do have an earthquake, it should somewhat be expected since that's the way of life here in southern California.  But more likely than not, we're going to get through this day, like any other, with some light shakin' and bakin' under the California sun.  Later!

$1 Admission to the LA County Fair This Weekend

Hey there.  I've lived in the Los Angeles are my whole life.. yet, I have only been to the LA County fair once.  I went a few years ago with my family and we had ourselves a good time.  This year, I get word that admission is only a dollar during the Labor Day weekend.  But only if you show up before 1 PM.  I'm definitely there!  With a family of 6, admission would probably run us closer to $100 so if we can get in for a $1 each, it's definitely worth it!  Here are some of the deals that are going on for $1 this weekend at the LA County Fair:

Opening Weekend $1 Specials – Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sept. 4 – Monday, Sept. 6

• Admission –$1, 10 a.m. – 1. p.m., regular admission rates apply after 1 p.m.

    1 p.m. to closing $17 (ages 13+)

    1 p.m. to closing $12 (ages 6-12)

• Beverages – $1 for 22 oz. soft drinks at all food and beverage stands, 1 – 4 p.m.

• Carnival - $1 rides, games and select food and beverage items, in the carnival, 4–7p.m

Sounds like a good time to me!  I'm looking forward to it.  Hope to see you guys there!  Later!

The Mel Gibson Benefit Show feat. Mark Gonzales

Hey there.  There has been a lot of talk of Mel Gibson and his idiotic rants to his girlfriend/wife/baby momma.  And even though he's being torn apart from the media, one man is out to help out Sergeant Martin Riggs by hosting a benefit show!  Check out the flyer above for The Mel Gibson Benefit Show with my friend and comedian, Mark Gonzales.

I've missed a few of his shows, so I declare myself to be an awful fan, but I plan on changing that!  I plan on attending this event and hope that you all you friends in the Los Angeles area can make it as well.  

Check out his twitter page for a small taste of the humor of Mark Gonzales.  Hope to see you guys there!  Later!

PS:  We all know Mel Gibson is a huge douche for doing the things he's done and saying the things he's said.  This is a comedy show, people.  Take nothing seriously, laugh the night away, and have yourself a great time.  Later!

My Problem with Summer

Hey there.  When I was a kid, summer was awesome.  No school, no homework, nothing to worry about but play video games, wrestle with friends, and general childhood mischief.  Sounds like a pretty bad ass time to me.  As an adult...  summer is not so great.  I know that it can get hotter in other places, but summer in LA sucks.  The commute to and from work here is so bad, that you spend a lot of time stuck on the freeway and with a scorching sun beaming down on you, you're going to get sweaty.  Even though the AC is on blast, the fact that you're in a heated metal box for a long while will slowly negate that AC of yours.  Then there's the prob with people in offices across LA.  People... it's hot outside!  Let's be merciful to those that just came in from that blazing sun and turn on the AC!!!  If you start complaining (ahem ahem... you know who you are) then you should be shot!  lol  I would rather be in a cold office than a hot one.  If you're cold, it's easy to slip into a sweater or jacket.  If we keep the office hot... there's nothing you can do to remedy that.  No amount of water or drinks, no fan, no anything will dispel the heat from your body.  I can be walking around naked in the office and still feel hot.  (It's not a pretty sight, friends.  Don't make me go there) lol

Now, I'm not saying all of summer is bad...  Out of the 3 months or so of uncomfortableness, they'll be a few days where we'll go out to the beach and take in some of that sun and splash around in the Pacific Ocean.  The big difference between beach day and work day???  Beach day = fun where as work day = work.  lol  And working while all sweaty sucks.  I'm just saying... 

I think I'm going to write a strongly worded letter to the Mayor.  See if I can convince him of giving us Los Angeles workers some mandatory, PAID, time off to go to the beach during the week.  It's that... or we will all take a page out of Al Bundy's book and grab some lawn chairs and hang out in the frozen food section of the local market.  Either way... I'm down.  lol  Later!

The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2009-2010 Champs!

Hey there.  What an awesome game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics!!!  It definitely  was a defensive game and questions surrounded the Celtics on how they would be able to compete without their big man Perkins in the middle.  Looking at the final score of 83-79 doesn't convey the intensity, the tension, the reputations, and the legacy that was on the line.  I'm still hyped up over the game and if you missed it, you missed one hell of a game 7.  In a league where high flying offense seems to be what draws crowds, this defensive battle kept the players, and the fans on edge from beginning to end.  It wasn't a blow out, and at one point it seemed that the Lakers would fall the to Celtics, but they pulled it out with tough defense and a gritty performance.  Congrats my friends!!!!  And too the teams that made it to the post season and made it awesome for the fans, thanks!  Until next season!  Later!

Project Natal is Now XBOX Kinect

Hey there.  I'm pretty excited about stopping by the Galen Center later tonight to check out the "Project Natal" XBOX Experience.  Well, it was announced today that the "project" will now be called Xbox: Kinect.  I'm looking at this as a show and a show.  lol  I'm not exactly sure what part Cirque du Soleil has in all of this but their name is written all over the invitation.  Here are some of the pics that were posted on the XBOX Facebook page.  If you ask me, this looks pretty awesome!  I can't wait.  Later!

You’re Invited to Experience Project Natal with Cirque Du Soleil‏

Hey there. Whoo hoo! I've been invited to the "unveiling" of XBOX's Project Natal. How bad ass is that? I received an Email from XBOX Live stating that I was on of the lucky few to be chosen to attend the event and that I can bring up to 4 people with me. I wasted absolutely no time to confirm my attendance. lmao I'm sure that our son will be the most excited to check it out since he's expressing a strong interest in gaming the way I did as kid (and to an extent, now) so this would be a cool event event to check out as a family.

For the those of you that are not familiar with "Project Natal", it's the latest in gaming technology. Many of use have enjoyed video games and have used all sorts of gaming controls. Simple ones with only a few buttons to monstrous ones with more buttons than our fingers can navigate through. Project Natal claims to be the first to be a "controllerless" system. Or in other words... You're body is the controller. How it works, I'm still not sure but while other systems, such as the Wii and PS3, offer motion sensor controllers, the XBOX 360 is taking it a step further by eliminating the controllers and have you use hand gestures and body motions to control the action. Sounds pretty high tech stuff and it's going to be great to be able to witness it in action first hand! Until then... Later!

I'm Back From Boston

Hey there.  I'm back home!  My trip to Boston was a short one, but certainly an eventful one.  Here's what went down...

My alarm did NOT go off on Thursday morning.  That's right.  It decided to mess with me and simply not go off, even with the stupid thing CLEARLY saying that the alarm is on.  It's 6:30 AM and my flight is set to take off at 7:15 AM!  I grab my stuff, put on some clothes, kiss my wife good bye and speed off to LAX.  I manage to get there at around 7:00AM.  I got and punch in my confirmation code into the kiosk to get my boarding pass.  I sigh a sigh of relief since I don't see anyone in line at security should it should be a breeze to get in.  "Confirmation code not recognized"  What the...  I try it again.  "Confirmation code not recognized"  Oh man...

I head over to the desk while valuable seconds tick away and give the clerk my confirmation number.  The guy punches it in the computer and says that I missed my flight.  I point to the huge clock behind the guy and say, "It's 7:05.  If you give me my pass now, I can still make my 7:15 flight."  The dude persisted that I missed my flight, all the while getting me upset.  After arguing with him, and the manager, I decided that I'm just wasting energy here and decided to get a standby pass on the next flight...  4+ hours later.  I'm going to miss my appointment with our client!  Ugh...

My flight taking off without me

I grab the pass, go through security, and when I reach the terminal of my flight, I hear "last call for flight blah blah blah from LAX to BOS"  Damn it!!!  If that guy would have given my pass when I asked for it, I would have sooooo made my flight!  I see them shut the doors and minutes later, watch as my flight takes off without me.  *Sigh*  I go over to the attendant at the desk and ask her what are my chances on getting on the next flight since it is a standby ticket.  She punches in the info...  "It's 50/50 right now.  There are only 2 seats available."  Ugh...  She sees my dejected look and assures me that I'll probably get on since there's always cancellations and people being late.  I thank her and decide to have breakfast at the airport.  I also called our client to let him know that I won't be able to make it and would have to be pushed to Friday.  The meeting was rescheduled but it was a huge bummer for me since I wanted to use Friday afternoon as a means to check out the sites of the city.

Afterward, I continue to check in on my chances.  "1 seat left"  Oh man... I'm getting nervous at this point.  I ask her, what if I don't get on this one?  She then told me that the next flight to Boston is the red eye... Ugh!  Not a good way to start the day.  The plane pulls in and I ask again what are my chances.  "Better than before," she says, "there are now 3 available seats."  YES!  I watch as passengers board the plane still waiting for them to give me a "confirmed" boarding pass.  After just about everyone is on, they call my name.  YES!  I get my ticket and hop on the plane.  Relieved.  7+ hour flight...  COMMENCE!

Nothing too eventful on the plane.  A lot of the "Boston vs Cleveland" game that could have been LeBron's last game as a Cavalier.  I arrive at Boston close to 7 PM... oh man... The group that I was meeting was scheduled to have dinner at 7 PM!  By the time I get in a cab, check in my hotel and start looking for the place, it's already closer to 8PM.  I get to the restaurant and feel weird walking in while everybody else is enjoying their dinner.  I go ahead and advise the head of the group that I made it and said my hellos to some familiar faces.  I sit in an empty seat and menu and a wine glass is handed to me.  No kidding... that was ONE EXPENSIVE MENU!!!!  Nothing on there was under $40!  Before the waiter decides to take off to "give me some time" I asked him what he recommended.  He pointed to a prime rib steak and he claims is the best in the world.  I don't believe it, since the restaurant's specialty seems to be seafood.  I was starving, so I asked to be served the steak and wow... what a steak it was.  It was one of the better tasting steaks I've ever had... and in case you don't know what a $40 steak looks like... here it is.

After a couple more glasses of wine (I needed them after the morning I had...)  I went back to the room to catch the Boston - Cleveland game.  I texted my bro while watching the game, giving our opinions on James' looking rather lethargic and once the game was over, I called my wife to chat for a bit.  After we said our goodnights I tried to sleep.  Not happening...  Stupid time change really messed with my head.  Clock said 1 AM but it's 10PM in LA.  I don't usually go to sleep until midnight or so...  3AM...  Still up, but managed to drift asleep.  5AM... I'm up... it's light out and I don't feel all that sleepy anymore.  Hell with it.  I got up and showered and went for a walk. 

I took a stroll down the "Freedom Walk" path.  It's basically a red line on the sidewalk that takes you to several of Boston's points of interest.  That's a neat idea.  So I walk and catch several glimpses of the city's statues and monuments.  I snap some pictures and take a few videos.  Boston definitely has some unique sights to see.  Being one of America's first settlements definitely resounds across many of the cemeteries and buildings that are littered with plaques stating their historical importance.  I missed out on seeing the Constitution (a ship... not the document.  lol) and Paul Revere's statue.  But here are some of the stuff I did get to see.

Once 7:30 AM rolls around, I head back to the hotel for my meeting.  During our lunch break, I notice that the cemetery across from the hotel seems like a pretty lively place.  I see several children storming in and even caught a glimpse of some people dressed as patriots...  I need to see this.  I excuse myself from the table and head over there.  I managed to snap a pic of the patriot but he wasn't too happy that I did.  I walked the other way and then saw another guy dressed up as Ben Franklin (I think) and listened in as he gave the small crowd some historical facts on John Hancock's grave.  He then snapped at me for taking a pic of him and asked me if I knew that this was a paid tour.  I smartly responded that I didn't know since I just walked up to him no more than 2 minutes ago.  He didn't seem to happy so I decided that I best better go.  Dude was carrying a gun (or replica... I didn't want to find out) so I told him that I'd just be "on my merry way".  lol  I was too upset to look for Paul Revere at this time so I headed back to the hotel.

We finished up our credit conference and I moved on to my meeting with our client.  It being close to 2:30PM really set a damper on me since I would have had all this time (flight leaves at 8:25 PM) to check out the city, but instead I decide to walk to my meeting, a mere 1.5 miles away.  Nothing too eventful on my way there other than I got to walk on a bridge.  I had my meeting, discussed some business, made a good impression and I was off to the airport... all at around 5:30 PM...

Three hours from my flight.  I could have gone back... But I was too tired to walk.  I get to the airport and looked for food.  I then grabbed some coffee and sat in a chair where I got to see planes come and go.  I kicked off my shoes and enjoyed the view.  Soon after, I'm on a plane, heading home.  I get to LAX close to midnight and I'm not home, in bed, until about 1 AM.

Yup... condensed trip indeed.  lol  Later!

Going to our First Dodger Game

Hey there. I'm not very big on baseball. Don't get me wrong, if someone were to come along and say, let's play baseball, I'd probably say sure and go hang out with the guys. But watching the sport is a completely different issue. I just find it a little slow. There's not much in movement from the players and, in my opinion, there's too much time in between pitches.

Now, 2 days ago, I was awarded 3 tickets to a Los Angeles Dodger game. My brother and I were talking about taking my son to a game and this seemed to be perfect for that occasion, because really... who gives out 3 tickets? That's an odd number if you ask me. Anyways, he's up for it and my boy is excited about going so we'll be heading out to that later this evening.

I'm hoping that a live experience is different than the one sitting in front of the TV. My brother claims that it's better, but then again, he's a fan. I just figure that's it would be some great bonding time with my son and bro. The 3 of us out to see a game. And just because I don't like something doesn't mean my boy won't like it. We try not to shield them of stuff we don't like. If they wanna listen to certain music, so be it. If they want to watch certain sports, so be it. As parents we support and we expose the kids to our style of stuff and if they like it, great, if not, that's great too. As long as they get to have the experiences that they enjoy, I'm all for it. Later!

Southeast Warriors Fundraiser - Clippers Vs Suns

Hey there. I support the local kid's basketball team, The Southeast Warriors, and they are currently raising funds for equipment and tourney fees. As a means to entice some support, they are currently offering NBA basketball tickets for the game between the Los Angeles Clippers vs. The Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010.

So if you're in the LA area and are interested in checking out The Staples Center to catch Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, and crew go against Kris Kaman, Baron Davis and the rest of the Clippers, shoot me an Email to show some support. Tix are available on a first come first serve basis and they only have a limited amount so I'd jump on it since $15 is not bad at all. As far as seating goes, I'm being told that they have seats in the "300 section" but I'm sure that that will exclude the midcourt view. Here's the seating chart for The Staples Center so that you'll get an idea on where the 300s are located at. Many thanks, friends. Later!

Email: Metallman555@gmail.com

I's Raining in Southern California!

Hey there.  Big whoop de doo, right?  Well, it's kinda a big deal where in the land of sunshine.  Every time we get a little bit of rain, the news reports jump on the "story" and all you hear is "storm watch (insert year here)".  It gets a little annoying, especially when the news reports are 30 mins long on a light drizzle.  Well, that's not the case this time around.  It really is pouring and since it's coupled with lightning and thunder, most of the "southland" is a little rattled.  I love me some rain.  Its great that it's pouring over here.  We don't get much rain and it's great to see that we're finally getting some substantial amount of rain.  The problem though is that we're getting high winds with this storm.  I live in the Long Beach area and I'm getting word from twitter friends and coworkers that a tornado warning has been issued for the city of Long Beach.  Tornadoes?  In California? I don't ever remember there being a tornado warning that would pertain to us.

My wife and kids are a little rattled.  She's always been one to keep an eye out for lightning and thunder.  The last time we had a thunderstorm, the kids thought that there was a monster outside the house.  lol  Things can get pretty ugly pretty quickly.  Now, I'm a little concerned for our little one.  He's just getting over a sickness and now we're getting hit with this damn storm and it's making me feel a little uneasy.  We cover him up the best we can, but it's never a good idea to take a baby out during weather like this. 

I'm not much in the mood to work today, but I got a meeting in 30 mins...  I'm hoping the rest of the day will fly by so that we can get home.  Later!

John C. Fremont High School Being Shut Down

Hey there.  A few weeks back, I received word that my high school in Los Angeles is being taken over by the state.  Yeah, it's that bad friends.  It's right in the middle of South Central Los Angeles and it's in a pretty bad neighborhood.  That's my school, folks.  lol  Well, it turns out that the city got tired of the low test scores and high drop out rate so they've decided to start from scratch.  They are firing the whole staff and new hires will be brought in.  From what I hear, teachers working there now will have to re-apply.  It kinda sucks, since a class mate of mine is a part of the music staff at Fremont. 

Fremont has always been bad.  I remember that when I first started going there, an older cousin of mine would tell me to not linger around the school and to hurry home to avoid any gang violence or thug altercations.   From the picture that he was painting in my head, this was the school from hell.  Stabbings, shootings, theft... it was all there, according to him.  And I must say, it wasn't always the case.

I was a band geek, so I was part of the marching band.  The band had long rehearsals that usually ended well after school was over and on Wednesday, we would be at school until 8 PM.  Now, I don't remember experiencing MUCH of the violence and what not.  I used to stay after school and what not and I can honestly say that I've run into trouble of that nature once or twice but nothing in the scale of what was said.  We did have lock downs from time to time.  Which occurred during school, and usually during class.  For those of you not familiar with the term, it's when NO ONE is allowed to leave their classroom until the "disturbance" has been taken care of.  Usually, police would be involved.  It wasn't uncommon to go through an armed policeman before entering the school. 

I remember, after graduation, hearing the news that Fremont was deteriorating.  More armed policeman were patrolling the quad, a fence was built around the school to keep students inside (or the "bad" people out), and the student body just didn't seem to care about their academics.  So now, the Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD, has stepped in to take control of the school.  It's tough to say what's going to happen to the school.  What I do know is that this year will play out and then once the year is over, who knows.  Just my luck too.  2010 would be my 10 year high school reunion.  lol  For all the negativity that can be said about Fremont, I think it sucks that it's fallen so low.  I can never wash away the memories and friendships that came with my high school experience.  So here's to you, friends.  Whether our school is still "functioning" or not, I say we take care of business and do our reunion anyways.  Just gonna be a lot harder to get everyone together.  We'll see what transpires, but all I got to say is, "Find a Path, or Make One."  Later!

Love the Symphony of the Rain

Hey there.  Today it rained in Los Angeles.  May not be a big deal to a lot of people but we don't get much rain here.  It's funny because most of the world experiences 4 seasons, we only experience 2.  And even then, I wouldn't call them seasons, I'd say it's more like 2 climates.  Here in Los Angeles, we only experience hot or kind of cold.  That's it.  Temperatures range from about 60 degrees to over 90 here when across the country, there are cities that are experiencing temps in the low 20's.  So a little rain is always welcomed.

I sat in my office listening to the sound of the rain drops hitting the roof.  There is something about this kind of weather that brings out my creative side.  I started thinking of music, of what I want to play, of what I can create.  As listened to the concerto that the heavens rained down on us, inspiration showered over me.

As I drove home, music played in my head.  When I got home, I pulled out my guitar and rocked on some songs.  I still feel as if I haven't made my contribution to music.  I haven't left my mark.  Maybe I need God's Opus to rain down on me before I do.  Later.

Earn Your Master of Arts in Teaching Degree with the USC Rossier School of Education Program

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hey there friends. The University of Southern California, it's name is synonymous with prestigious education, a top of line medical program, and of course the outstanding football program. A school of education which has been ranked #22 in the United States, and #9 among all private universities by US News and World Report, USC now introduces a ground breaking online institution. The USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC program offers aspiring teachers and current teachers to not only join the Trojan family from their home states, but garner an opportunity to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree through a prestigious and well renown university. Learn in a virtual classroom from some of the best in the education field. And to make it a sweeter deal, it's an accelerated program so you can earn your degree in as little as a year. This is a no nonsense course, my friends. If you are serious in obtaining you Master of Arts in Teaching degree, then you need to get the program information and seriously consider enrolling in class.

Whether you're on campus or the virtual campus, once you are part of the USC family, you gain full USC student status & benefits. As a child, I was a part of USC's Med-Core program. I'd go to USC on a Saturday to learn math and medicine from some of the distinguished professors. I know that many of you are not in Southern California so this is a great opportunity to experience the essence that is USC. Later!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Hey there. My hair is gone. That's right. Let me say that again... My hair is gone. Has it set in yet? lol Last night, I decided that it was a great opportunity to get rid of it. I've had long hair since forever. I went and chopped off my hair back in 2000, again in 2007, and then again last night. Each time I've cut my hair, I've donated it to a charity that uses human hair to make wigs for girls with cancer. The hair cutting place that I went to last night didn't offer that service so I took the hair with me and I'll find somewhere were they accept donations.

My wife wasn't too thrilled about it. She loves my hair but I've just gotten tired of it. It's always tangled, it made my head a lot hotter than I wanted it to be, and quite simply, it just got on my nerves. It had to go.

People at work damn near broke their necks doing a double take while passing by my office. lol Some of the new people were not here when I last had short hair (2007) so it was a shocker to them to see me this way. I, myself, am still getting used to it being gone. When I would look at some of my numbers and started to think, I would grab my pony tail and tug it a little. I reached over to grab it earlier and realized that it's gone. lol

I'm pretty sure that the Los Angeles fires had a huge part in me getting rid of it. It was too hot, too sticky, and high maintenance for me to deal with my hair. If all of that wasn't going on, I may still have it. Who knows. Now, the decision is whether or not I want to let it grow back or adopt this look from now on. What do you think? Decisions, decisions. Later.