Archive for the beer category
quiksilver holiday party 2009.
by josh on December 17th, 2009
so…went to the work party last night. which was actually a lot of fun. it was at the house of blues here in anaheim. here’s some pics i stole from others:
good times, open bar, live band, and plenty of random buzzed induced conversations. least here it’s not really your typical corporate holiday party. you know, the kind where it takes a couple of drinks for people you’ve seen for the last year to finally get friendly….and then it’s back to pretending you don’t know each other the following day. my last job was like that…..but fortunately everyone here is already chill so it was really just a matter of meeting some new peoples. which was a really good thing factoring all the fallen soldiers we lost due to layoffs. definitely a nice treat to unwind for a night downtown disney style.
drink made easy tomorrow night.
by josh on December 10th, 2009
going to see a comedy show tomorrow night in south county. should be pretty fun.
zane hosts the best tv show in the world ever! three sheets…..which is basically just him traveling the world and getting wasted in different cities. hahah…it is actually educational though, as he does a great job of showing the culture and specific boozes to the region. not sure how his comedy will be, but it’s all geared around booze too….so needless to say i am sure i’ll tip a few too many back.
*cheers*
weekend wrap up.
by josh on November 3rd, 2009
ok, so as i stated on sunday, i really wasn’t in the mood to write a whole dealio here due to the copious amounts of alcohol still straining through my defunct liver.
but to quick wrap up the halloween weekend? first it started at venice beach. i hadn’t been there in a few years so i figure it’d be fun to go bum around there for the afternoon. i had to be at my buddy’s place in culver city later that afternoon, so….made perfect sense as he was just a shot down venice blvd. from the beach. if you saw the pictures in the previous post, obviously that can sum up venice beach that afternoon…..but just to touch on a subject that maybe can’t be seen. i forgot how friendly people were there. everyone was out enjoying the day and enjoying the people around them. it was refreshing in a sense that isn’t often seen too much in the ol’ orange county. it was a true melting pot of folks too. from the 60 year old white dude playing basketball with the ballin’ brothers to the sore thumb midwest tourists finally realizing what kinda “medicine” can be enjoyed in the 2 story green clinic. heh. it was a great day, and filled with nods of acceptance in a land that seems to sometimes forget how to be neighbors.
after that it was onto my friend laith’s place. a few pre-concert beverages and catching up was in order while were waiting for his lady friend that was stuck being our chauffeur for the night. it’s really great that we’ve been able to reconnect over the years. see, i always thought of him as a good friend back in high school….and add in the fact he is really the only one i know from 10 years ago that is braving the socal vibe….and well, it’s just nice some familiarity in the mix. even better, it seems as we’ve both changed over the years….we have done so on similar levels. well, i mean minus the fact he spends his time trying to cure HIV and i am fixing shitty photography. hahah.
on to echo park and the dead man’s bones concert. traffic sucked because of all the freaks trying to get into the hollywood gala….so we were a little late. however, it being saturday night in los angeles, the show conveniently waited for us rockstars before it got started. as i said to 2 other gals waiting in line, “it’s LA, everyone is fashionably late.” speaking of waiting in line….as i was standing there i saw a familiar face. walking right past me was this girl that i had just seen a few hours ago on venice beach. she was at beach doing a little dance routine to michael jackson’s thriller. was freakin’ hilarious because of course i belted out a half buzzed “hey! i saw you on venice beach today!” she nodded and her entourage shared a laugh with me. fuckin’ awesome…again, only in los angeles.
the dead man’s bones show was pretty much everything i was hoping for and expected. a small small show in a seedy bar with halloween costumes passing us by in a blur. the highlight was by far a cover of bang bang (my baby shot me down) that featured this little girl from the choir on vocals. i can’t find a video from our show, but here’s one from the chicago show: -click to view- overall though, they rocked it. a perfect choice for a halloween night boogie.
after that it was back to culver city….then to another bar….and then a nightcap of in and out burgers before crashing.
must say though, the more and more i spend time in los angeles….the more i am beginning to think a move is in order. the people are just more friendly. everywhere we went that day people had smiles and were full of awareness. in orange county? it’s like people are too wrapped up in themselves to even notice there are other people out in public with them. like they go out wanting to have private parties instead of embracing the mix of folks that maybe could surprise them. depressing. i keep telling myself i like it here because i can pick and choose when i want to deal with the congestion of los angeles, but fuck that….los angeles is where it’s at. i’d rather be wrapped up in it if the alternative is where i’m at. time to start looking at some options. stay tuned….
12 years later…
by josh on June 23rd, 2009
so i hung out with an old high school friend this weekend. i found out he was out here about a year ago, but unfortunately i had just missed him at the time. he was off to DC for a new job. well, one shit ass economy and a lay off later….he’s back out in LA. so we got together over the weekend for a BBQ in honor of a friend of his that is moving back to missouri.
needless to say it was great to finally find someone out here on a bit of a familiar ground. i literally hadn’t seen him for 12 years or so, but you couldn’t tell by the end of the night. even better were his other friends that came out. i don’t meet that many ppl out here that don’t generally suck deep down, so it was refreshing to mingle amongst some of the better souls LA has to offer. instead of compromising my caring….i found myself genuinely surround by ppl that were not only just chill…..but interesting to boot.
see, some of them are post grad USC med students. so we hung out with a neurosurgeon, a general physician, and my buddy already has his doctrine in micro biology (or something). yikes…..but the neurosurgeon also is a musician, and this dude who’s BBQ it was….is a musician as well. so the night turned into us drinking like there was no tomorrow while listening to the 2 musically talented ones jam on a guitar.
was refreshing to get out and actually not have to pretend in front of the company i was around.
here’s a picture:
sad day. RIP ralph’s.
by josh on June 5th, 2009
….so i stop at my local ralph’s today after work. yes, to get beer.
the place is a zoo…..a lot more of a zoo than normal. the weirdest thing though….like half the shelves were empty. holy crap….i am not seeing any great sales or anything…so why all these ppl and why the vacant shelves?
yep…they are closing on june 20th.
that sucks. it’s literally like a block from from me, so i always liked the fact i could just go there for pretty much anything. see….about 2 years ago the CVS (drug store) closed too….but i thought i’d be fine with just my ralph’s.
now….there are gonna be 2 vacant buildings in this tiny strip mall that can really only house a store of that kinda magnitude. meaning…..it’s needs to be a big ass corporate union store….or nothing. judging by the other closings of these kinda stores around the area? yeah….they are gonna be vacant for years.
i mean…this other ralph’s closed down a few years ago in the opposite direction from me. it’s the only store that big…that i’ve seen something else actually go into. what did it get replaced with? some middle eastern run “imports” store. apparently they specialize in gaudy jewelry and old people furniture. needless to say…i’ve never been in there.
….more backstory…..my little indie video store also closed up shop a few months ago too. so…i used to have a drug store, a grocery store, my bank, and my video store all within a block of me. i’ve stayed in my current joint this long because it was nice to have everything i need right there. now all that’s left is my bank…..and i just re-signed a new lease.
fuck. shoulda moved to the beach.
now i have to go to the ghetto albertson’s to get my groceries. either that or the mega-ass target superstore that is always filled with 800 morons. bah….not happy at all.
is the economy that bad….that ppl aren’t even buying groceries? i mean seriously? out of the 4 ralph’s in my somewhat area 4 years ago….only one is left.
let’s get it on!
by josh on April 7th, 2009
brewers season starts today.
thought i’d share my favorite moment from last season.
tales from the car shop.
by josh on February 27th, 2009
i was planning on just watching baseball and doing nothing today. it being my last friday off. but eh….things changed.
i took off about 10am to head up to the car shop to get an oil change and some rear brake pads. you know, because that is just exactly what i wanted to spend $200 on.
you see, the car shop is a big deal for me. it is like one of my lone places of solace where i truly feel like a “real man”. i don’t really hang around any meatheads, so besides a little sports….i really don’t have many real “manly” conversations with ppl. sure there is the usual skirt glancing snicker, but that all changes when it comes to the car shop.
realize….i know nothing about cars. i don’t want to either. driving sucks….and i only own a car cause i have to.
but there is something great about my car shop experiences. i usually go in there on days when i don’t have shit to do….as i feel bad asking ppl to come pick me up from there just to waste time. so needless to say….the dudes there always give me shit and try to get me to help answer phones and junk while i am hanging out for hours. hahaha.
i respect these dudes though. i’ve been going to them for 6 years now, and even though i may be paying a little more than i could:
1. i like supporting the little local guy
2. i trust them. which is most important, cause i basically don’t trust any of these shady california pricks.
so i was sitting there with jay and jason……just shooting the shit.
(i am pretty sure it’s a man rule that you really don’t disclose the conversations at the car shop.)
seeing interesting characters and what not…..it was soon already noon.
i decided to go to denny’s for lunch. there is one just down the block from the car shop. however….that shit was weird too. i go in just to have a nice quiet lunch by myself…and naturally ppl feel the need to start talking to me.
this time it was an older (in their 50’s) couple in the booth next to me. i was trying not to overhear their conversation, but it sounded as if they were on a first date of sorts. at denny’s? i know, right?…..
but they were discussing all the typical “getting to know” you bullshit. which may be the single lamest conversation in the history of lame expected conversations….but i digress……
anyways…. they started talking to me, because they were talking about how asians and mexicans are taking over all of southern california. HAHAHAH! like, they started talking to me just because i was the only other cracka in there. realize, they weren’t being racist or anything….not by any means…..they were just stating facts. like how places they’ve lived and such are now being overrun by one race of ppl.
which is whatever. i see it happening in certain places too…..but what can ya do? i personally like diversity…..but a concentration of any race in any one place is not diverse.
so we chit chatted a bit about the ppl of socal and had some laughs…..like the crazy white folk we are.
…and then it was back to the car shop.
which brings up one story i can tell. only because it was in defense of everything that is unholy in the car shop. a woman!
this chick was trying to turn into the place and this dude behind her starts honking his horn while turning into the car shop himself. he gets out of his shitty truck and yells at the lady, “learn to fucking drive!”
of course i am sitting there just watching this whole ordeal unfold. the dude comes into the waiting area and starts bitching to me about “the bitch that can’t drive”. i just kinda chuckle as i notice the stupid plugs in his ears and his lame 6x too big skater jeans. someone obviously pissed in this dude’s cereal today.
jay, the car shop guy, summed it up better than i ever coulda…..he walks into the joint and says to the kid, “boy, some people just aren’t as good of drivers as you, huh?”
hahahaha, i bust up.
the lady? she was probably pushing her mid forties and didn’t get phased by him one bit. she made her way into the waiting area just as the punk douchebag was making his way out. of course, he didn’t have such a lip on him now that he was face to face with the lady. figures…..
she says hi to me, and i just smile. she mentions something about pissing this dude off and laughs about it.
“well, i am pretty sure his vagina is just hurt all over today…..”, i say….already realizing she’s a hip chick.
and naturally, because i am just so gosh darn funny….she busts up with what i can tell is a much needed laugh.
at this point, jay comes walking back in with the douche bag….and writes down an address for a different car shop while sending him on his way. HAHAHA…..i am again just laughing. the dipshit leaves…..and me, jay, and the lady share some more laughs at his expense.
“ooppppps, suddenly we are too busy to help him.” says jay.
no doubt. douche bags be gone. see, it just so happens…..this lady is also a long time customer like myself. so jay sent his ass packing instead of dealing with him further. as it should be.
by this time, my car was done and it was time to go visit my middle eastern homies at the 711 for beer and cigarettes.
but again….this is why i go to THIS SPECIFIC car shop. they are humble, they are cool, and really…..i enjoy just hanging out there at times. it’s my “man time”, hahaha!
….was a good last friday off. believe it or not.
happy festivus!
by josh on December 23rd, 2008
yes, i am drinking sam adams tonight in celebration of the festivus holiday.
last night i got to watch the packers blow a shoulda been win in the last minutes…..
…..and tonight? the badger basketball team freakin’ blew it in the last minute to texas. wtf is wrong with wisco sports and the premature ejaculation?
anyways, sticking on the festivus and wisco theme….i stumbled across a company that sells festivus poles. best part? they are proudly “made in milwaukee”.
hahaaha……happy festivus!
here’s the company’s webpage…..please support them.