Mr. Brainwash's ArtShow2011 - Sunday, January 8, 2012

How are you all?  My first post of the year!  I wish I could write and post more.  Time seems to disappear nowadays.  I also hate how it's impossible to mass upload and edit description lines for photos on Xanga (why did they disable Xanga Uploader!!!)  2012 is off to a good start.  Got to check out ArtShow2011 on it's last day. I would've put up a lot more pics, but it took 3 minutes just to load these two photos.  

Does anyone know who this celeb girl is?  She looked 20 something.  Sorry, I couldn't get a better picture.  She was pretty and was rockin' a black with gold trim Hermes Kelly Bag.  

MBW... Me and Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta), the "star" of Banksy's Oscar nominated "Exit Through the Gift Shop."  

If you still read/are alive, let me know on here... you can inspire me to post more! 

I'm going to New York in early September, what places should I hit up?   Send me your travel tips... especially food, lounge, and dessert places.  I've done all the touristy stuff already.  So far and highly possible on the agenda... discounted Broadway show, go to the US Open of Tennis, catch a Yankees game from some super cheap seats.  Will be staying in rooftop duplex in the Union Square area.  

Which of the cheaper Momofukus are worth going to or is it all a scam?  

Le Benardin for lunch... worth it?  Is it really the best fish in the US?  Lunch specials at Jean George or Per Se?

Steakhouse... Del Frisco?  Peter Luger's?  

Send me all your tips!  We will eat all levels, from Gray's Papaya, Joe's Pizza, to Magnolia, to Le Benardin.  Will probably only do a couple of the nicer restaurants.  I don't want to spend my whole time sitting in NY sitting at a four hour meal.  

If you would like to meet up and eat or walk with us while I'm in NYC, let me know!  

Someone I used to date hit me up with a "I need rent money" request.  First thing that flashed in my head, "Is my baby getting fed?  Are we sure it's my baby?"  Just kidding.  But I did think, "I don't have not babies of yours, so why are you asking me?"  How do you decide if you'll help or not?  I have helped a friend with rent before, but they were in a tough place and had too much pride to ask for help, so I offered.  This time I said no.  This person needed rent because they aren't a saver and didn't plan well.  I'm not rich yet, I don't even have enough money to buy a house yet.  

Howiemeter On the Economy

I don't think the economy is moving anywhere fast.  My ticket sales at the beginning of the year was steady (at same pace as last year).  Then from end of May on sales stagnated.  My items ended up selling, but traffic was slow and most only sold a week before the show after prices were reduced, reduced, and reduced.  We are talking good shows, great seats for things that have been sold out for six months or more... Adele, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift...  

Something happened at the end of May.  I don't know if it was just summer hitting and people getting more relaxed or it more people tightened up because they feared their job security.  It was weird because it was across the board effect on all shows in different cities.  Earlier in the year, Katy Perry and Adele tickets were flying off my hands.  I sensed the winds of change way before all the debt ceiling talk hit.  One economist compared us Japan of the 1990s.  Slow growth, large debt, going nowhere fast.  What do you think?  Is the US economy stuck in this no growth/low growth scenario for the next two or three years (exactly what I wondered two years ago)?  

Concerts I've been at the past few months:  My Chemical Romance, Glasvegas, Leighton Meester, Katy Perry, Toby Keith, and possibly Adele this week.  If you want pictures or a review of any, let me know.  

Leighton Meester @ the Troubadour - Monday, June 13, 2011

Mee Oh My... Yes, I went to Blair Waldorf's concert and I liked it.  What else can you do on a Monday night for $19.35?  When Michelle and I walked up, the place was crawling with about 5-10 paparazzi.  I went up and asked one you here for the show too?  Who's here so far?  

Stars always lambast the paparazzi but I like them.  All the ones I've talked to have been pretty cool and they are a wealth of information in entertainment rich cities like LA and New York.  I like to talk with them just like anyone else.   

"Michelle Trachtenberg so far."  

I asked him if Justin Long was there (he was seen eating with Leighton last month), or Blake Lively and Leo.  Nada.   Later Aly Michalka also showed up. 

As we approached the entrance line, all my eyes could say was "Holy Sh*t!"  It was a line full of 20-30 something girls that stretched around the building.  The girl/guy ratio was about 8:1 and there was some A-level talent there.  My friend Stephen met up with us in line and said, "Hey, you're not going to tell anyone that I wanted to go to this, right?"  

Check In the Dark was the opening band and they were also Leighton's backing band.  Sugary acoustic pop folk, not at all edgy.  So... not exactly my type of stuff.  

Leighton performed a 1 hour set and was surprisingly great.  She's a got a voice that will do well in the Singer/Songwriter or Pop Country category.  She sang mainly pop country and didn't have any stage fright even though it was only her second show ever (her first was at Hotel Cafe a month earlier).   When I met her later I told her she did great, compared to Zoey Deschanel, who also sings great but seems very timid and focused in her singing when facing a live audience.   

Michelle & Leighton.  Stephen & Leighton.  

Me & Leighton.  Why do I look like a giant?  Remind me to stand back more for these pictures next time!  

Blair Waldorf she was not!  As you can see, no stuffy get up.  No Chanel bags (though two days earlier she was in London launching a perfume line with Vera Wang).  She didn't have to, but 20 minutes after the show ended she came down and met, posed for pictures, and signed autographs for all 100 fans that waited while her dad and family waited for her.  Disarming, friendly, and personable, she talked with everyone like we were all normal people.  No bitchy ego in her bone.  

What I really wanted to do?  Hug her and say, "You’re a Waldorf, remember? People don’t tell you who you are, you tell them. Stay and fight.  I'll fight with you."   

The $1.3 Million Dollar Yacht Baby  

I finally went out with a Vietnamese girl last month.  I've hung out with plenty, but it took me 30 some years to finally go out on a date with one because of my utter fear.  I have plenty of Vietnamese friends (male and female), but all the guys have told me... "Whatever you do, don't date a Vietnamese girl."  

Whatevers!  I know plenty of Vietnamese girls.  My friends are doctors, teachers, accountants... well educated, successful, married and very normal.  She can't be that bad.  

The girl I met was a marketer that was in between jobs.  She was tall, cute, and naturally curvy and voluptuous.  We had dinner and I found a few things about her.  She lived in a house with her brothers and sisters... a house that her parents had bought to house them while her parents lived nearby in the same neighborhood.  Her dad was a humble man that was a genius in his field.  He moved to America, made it himself and amassed a comfortable amount of money.  Though he has money, he still dresses in old jeans and drives a fifteen year old Japanese car while the kids all drive Lexuses and BMWs.  But he liked fishing, so this year he decided to treat himself to a $1.3 million, 61 foot yacht... something he could enjoy for a few years before he gets too old to enjoy it.  

I haven't really figured out if girls from families with money intimidate me or not, but since I have to think about it, I guess not.  Education and money don't scare me.  I just get annoyed if they are pretentious.  Now this girl, she was something else.  

My date was a girly girl.  I might say something like "Today was a beautiful day" and she'd say "But not as beautiful as meeee right?"  Ummm... first date, I don't know you yet so I just laughed and ignored that question.  One time she sent me a picture of her in the Carlsbad flower fields.  I told her that her flowery dress matched perfectly.  She replied, "Ooooo, interesting how you noticed my dress but not my smile or perfect hair."  

I'm not good at the reassurance thing.  I know girls at their core are insecure and need some comforting or encouragement at times.  But if a girl is really insecure and needs daily verbal reassurance of her beauty... God, just shoot me!   I want to compliment a girl because I appreciate or notice something, not because she prompts me to.    

Why do my Vietnamese friends think their own women are crazy?  Are they too insecure?  Too money hungry?  Because some have boobs the size of San Onofre?  No.  Let me tell you...  

My date had multiple brothers and sisters.  She falls somewhere in the middle age wise, only one of her sisters having been married before.  Her older sister is in her late 30s, now divorced, and has one child.  She had found out that her husband had cheated on her so when it came time for divorce, they had to find someone to serve the papers.  They elected her, because she was the fearless loud spoken one.  How hard can serving papers be?  

One day, she went to her sister's ex-husbands office.  He was in the office, meeting with clients.  She barged in, cussed his ass out ("No one sticks their d**k in my sister, leaves her with a baby and... blah blah blah"), then flung the divorce papers in his face and all over the floor, while his clients were still in there.  Then she walked out.  

I sat there stunned.  My mind quickly went next level.  Visions of my man parts, sitting on a wooden cutting board, about to be chopped off by a giant butcher knife.  Ever been to Sam Woo?  Half a roast duck, half a Hainan chicken, one pound of char siu pork, and my manhood.  Four to-go boxes, one plastic bag.  

I snapped out of my funk 30 seconds later, recovered enough to tell her her cheating brother law was an ass, and asked her if she was scared to go in there.  Good save!  

I went into the night hoping Vietnamese girls weren't crazy and left thinking Vietnamese girls ARE crazy.  Now why the heck would you tell that story on a first date?  I don't want to know a girl is psycho until it's time for her to get pyscho.  That day will certainly come, why rush it?  I know, sometimes conversation accidentally spills into first date no-no's... a little politics, or someone asks why you broke up with your ex... you just have to answer those questions tactfully if they come up.  Okay, so let me tally... I have to verbally worship your beauty every day, your dad already provides everything for you while you aren't working, and if I do something wrong you are going to go crazy ass on me.  

There was also this line, "If a guy comes to a date dressed up in a button down shirt, slacks, I'm not comfortable with that.  I like it if he just wears jeans, sandals, and a t-shirt."  I was wearing jeans and a nice casual short sleeve shirt (not t-shirt) with proper shoes.  What kind of girl complains about a guy who is dresses up a little for a date?  Shoot, that's a first.  

I walked her to her car, she kissed me goodnight (woohoo... gessum!) and told me to call her.  I didn't.  I'll save that for the next Vietnamese girl I meet.  

The Wellness Program 

My workplace is starting a wellness program and it sounds fishier than yesterday's chowder.  The company has never spent extra money to improve the health tried to lessen our health insurance load.  Now they want to "care" about us and want us to kick off the wellness program by going to get a blood/health analysis at Quest Diagnostics.  The testing if free and we get to take a half day off for a one hour test.  This is from a company which won't even give our employees a paid two hours off so that we can attend a funeral of a fellow co-worker. 

The testing is voluntary.  It has been said that after they get the results back (they won't see individual results, just a summary of the whole branch), then they'll take that and manufacture a program from that.  Since I try to keep up with things, some employees have been asking me, "What do you think of it?  Are you going to take it?" 

What I've noticed is that the fairly healthy people have scheduled their testing.  I have not seen any fatties put in for their free four hours of vacation testing time.  If I really wanted this test done in the past, I could go get a physical, then at the end of it as my doctor if he could also authorize a sexual diseases test to see if I have the herps as well as authorize a fat/blood/sugar content test all for the same price.  It's not like the test would cost me more to do myself.  If I'm already getting an exam, then it would be covered under my insurance. 

Why am I skeptical?  Has anyone ever told you they'd make you money, just write them a check and they'll invest it for you?  Would you give it to them?  No.  You'd ask what they'd be investing in.  Stocks?  Real Estate?  Used copper wires?  A new yogurt store?  No one would go in blind.   The company is telling us to get tested, individually we can see our results while the company sees the summary, then they'll... they'll... they'll... what? 

I asked, "Has the company thought about putting in exercise bikes or ellipticals?"  I got a run around answer.  Invest $4,000 for 4 machines for 130 employees is a small price to pay to improve health.  Those are low impact machines, it's not like they'd be a huge liability.  Heck, they've never even offered to reimburse us a $10 bucks a month if we sign up for a gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness. 

I'm skeptical because with rising healthcare costs, who's to say that the laws won't change in a few years, that high risk fatties will have to pay a higher insurance premium than their fellow co-workers because they are more "at risk."  I was trying to find instances on the net where this has already happened.  Guess what?  It's already happening.  Some workplaces are offering an insurance "discount" if an employee takes part in the wellness program.  Instead of marketing fatties as paying more, they are marketing it as skinnies paying less. 

My co-workers don't think about these things.  The company is not going to do anything that strictly benefits us.  I think they'd only implement this if it would reduce their group insurance rate (by having a wellness program in place) or so that they can set up a foundation for filtering out the more at-risk fatties a few years down the line.  As one of my sales producers once said, "I can expense all the alcohol I want and drink myself to death while on the road, but I can't expense a $10 gym fee at a hotel." 

Does your workplace have a wellness program?  What's your impression of it?  Do people in your company get charged different rates for medical insurance for being healthier/fatter?   

What's up in the life of Howie...

Scored $25 tickets to last Saturday's Prince concert.  Loge (lower level), Row F.  Row F ended up being row 3 in our section.  Holy purpleness!!! They were frickin' awesome seats!  And I have a friend that works the booths so I got my concert t-shirt for half off.  =)  He will be performing this weekend, the last weekend in May, and then the last five or so dates will run into June.  Definitely worth seeing for $25.  My only warning... parking at the Forum... $25!!!

After Prince, we tried to make it back to Star BBQ in Garden Grove for all you can eat Korean BBQ for their last seating @ 12:40 a.m. (we called the manager to check).  I'm in Inglewood and clock reads 12:15 a.m.  I tell my friend there's no way we can make it, we'll have to settle for BCD.  12:35 a.m., I pull into Star BBQ.  We walk in and yell "Inglewood!!!" Dr. Dre style and the stunned manager looks at us speechless.  He couldn't believe that we made it since we had just called 18 minutes ago.  

My Lakers sucked.  I'm not ashamed of losing.  I'm ashamed that they went out like suckers.  I've never been afraid to bump guys hard in basketball, but I never hit someone sideways when they are in the air, that's a punk move because someone could twist an ankle or knee landing.  Swat the ball down onto someone's head, slap someone's arm so it stings when they come in the lane, elbow them when you're jostling for post position, but in the air?  C'mon man.  

Holy Ganja!  I just got the call today... Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley's passing and I got invited to the private party (200 people) and performance by Ziggy Marley @ the Grammy Museum!!!  And I get to partake in the free food and wine!!!   My life really makes me wonder sometimes.  Seriously, I'm randomly blessed.  

Now to go spiritual on another level, my little brother is graduating this week from seminary and is officially going to be a pastor!!!  I'm the one my parents pray for.  

I have a couple of interesting date stories from the past month that I can tell you next time if you want to hear about them.  How are you doing?  Just because I haven't written, doesn't mean I don't wonder about how you've been.

I was walking in downtown on Saturday to the Clippers vs. Thunder game.  I asked my friend if he wanted to grab a drink before the game since we had 30 minutes.  This girl, who's also walking on the curb a step in front of us says, "Drinks?"  

I joke back saying, "You treating us to drinks?"  

She's got a Blake Griffin jersey on so I tell her we're going to the game too, ask her where her seats are.  Then we talk about Blake and than two minutes later we are at 11th & Figueroa by the ESPN Zone, going different directions.  My mouth was open and I was about to say "Bye!" but then she says, "Hey, I can give you my number.  I don't meet many people that also live in OC."  What does a guy do in that situation... say no?  

The whole thing was so fast I don't even know what happened.  I didn't ask for her email, didn't suggest we should grab a drink at half time.  I didn't say we should keep in touch, nothing forward of the sort.  My friend who was standing next to me was dumbfounded and said, "Did she just give you her number?"

I said, "Yup!  Tell everyone I just gave you a two minute clinic on how to pickup girls."  

I'm not used to tall white chicks throwing their digits at Asian guys.  But now I am.  

Her:  Are you a picky eater?  You're not vegetarian are you?  I can't date a vegetarian. 

Me:  I don't think I'm a picky eater.  I eat most anything, except for guts (gizzards, livers, hearts... well, once in awhile I'll have liver or heart).  I'm definitely not a vegetarian.  I have friend who's vegetarian but can't give up bacon.  

Her:  Ewww... I don't like bacon, it feels like I'm eating fat.  

Me (looking at the menu):  Do you want an appetizer?  Avocado rolls?  

Her:  Ummm... Sorry, I don't like avocados.  But you can order it if you want.

I always thought avocado and bacon were heaven.  It seems like we disagree on the afterlife. 

I'm currently taking applications for the next Mrs. DjCaptainzowie.  The economy has improved slightly and so has the pool of applicants.  At a recent dinner interview I asked the question...

Me: So... Do you play any sports or did you play any sports in high school?
Her:  You mean shopping?  I do shopping.

LA Asian girls, what would we do without them.  New candidate tomorrow.    

Nothing momentous has been going on, but it's been a great month.

My new tire got a nail in it from the construction at work two months ago.  Free flat repair still left it with a slow leak, so they gave me a free Michelin last... I didn't have tire insurance and they didn't measure usage. 

I got X-Ray'd for my shoulder soreness and there was no structural damage, just fallout.  I was prescribed PT.  Day one of physical therapy and it looks like I have an impinged AC joint that is causing my neck, shoulder, and arm muscles to tighten up.  Hopefully shouldn't be too hard to fix.  I was worried that it was some rotator cuff thing. 

A new Microsoft store is opening tomorrow in South Coast Plaza and they are making a huge deal about it.  Ummm... shouldn't you have opened your own stores 10 years ago when you guys were the world leader?  Anyhow, I'm going early so that I can hopefully get a coupon that will let me buy a copy of Office for cheaper.  I swear, it's not for the free tickets to the exclusive Selena Gomez concert.  But Biebers, I will steal your girl.  Oh and at night they are going to get Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian to play XBox Kinect with people at the store for two hours.  How about that!  Don't you wish you lived in SoCal?

I was so busy I didn't even get to attend the free NCAA Sweet Sixteen practice session at the Honda Center today.  No one ever goes but it's super cool and chill.  There's only like 400 people in the whole arena and I probably could've gotten future #1 draft pick Kyrie Irving's autograph or Coach K's auto.  Duke is a class act.  Last time they were here, he had the whole team go over and sign autographs for the few people in the stands that wanted them.  They run their practices like they mean business. 

Maybe I can update more often once I'm set up.  I just bought my first router (an Apple Airport Extreme, coming in tomorrow's mail, took 2 weeks for Amazon to ship it) and...

GOT MY FIRST LAPTOP!!!  I know, welcome to 1995 Howie.  Yeah, but, dig this... I got a 15" Macbook Pro with Intel iCore i7 and Anti-Glare screen for... FREE.  Holla!!!  Yeah, I've been saving my Amex points for 15 years.  There was a 30% points discount on the Shop Amex site and I found the exact model with anti-glare screen customization (this was impossible to find).  Add in that this was an independent distributor, not the official Apple store, since they were out of state, there were no taxes or shipping fees.  If I got it through Apple, I would've had to pay another $250 in taxes.  I had so many points, it was just ridiculous.  And I still have enough to buy myself an Apple Care! 

Who wants to teach me how to use a Mac?  =)