Lawyer Chad Wilson | Featured Attorney Litigation

Bicycle! Bicyle! I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike!

I have decided to start riding my bike, rather than running - in hopes of saving my knees for future use. Although there is a great bike/walking trail along much of the bay, the rest of time comes the great question: street or sidewalk. I know how annoyed many people get when bicyclists are taking up any part of the street. But I also know how much it sucks to try and ride on sidewalks. I think the simple resolution is for bicyclists to use the street, but to be cautious and considerate of cars. This means don't block or slow traffic. 

Has anyone else noticed that one of the street lights on the way to the airport is pointless? There is no crosswalk or cross-traffic for the light to actually be of use. Thinking about it, there could only possibly be reasons for the light: either the coast guard facility might need access or if the harbor authority needed to block access from the airport. If someone knows the actual reason, please let me know. 

I have also noticed on my bike ride that certain bums remain in the same location. Whether its the middle of the day or the early evening, a few transients do not move. This got me to thinking about how boring it must be to be a bum. If you're not trying to panhandle or collect cans, you pretty much are just sitting around. Sure, San Diego is a great place with both the beach and the water to stare at, but it surely must get bored. I actually would enjoy it because I wold finally have time to read all the books that I wanted. I'll need to calculate exactly how much it would cost to be a transient for a year. Maybe $2/day?

Summer Sausage

I have always been a big fan of having the windows down. Even when I am driving a great distance on the freeway, I prefer to have the windows down. Apparently it's not fuel efficient to have the windows down if you are traveling over 50 mph, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It just feels good to be on the open road with the wind in my face. 

On Friday night we took a cab down the bar and it was critically necessary to have the windows down. It was Gil's big night (getting out of the Navy) and his friends had reserved a table at Side Bar. So the girls that were with us were all made up and I was actually worried they might protest having the windows down. Sometimes girls through such fits when they think their hair is going to get messed up. Fortunately, they all agreed that the windows should be down. The cab honestly smelled like the sweaty towel bin of a men's locker room. It reminded me of when Borat and his hairy, fat friend were naked on top of each other. Nasty. 

The Andrews Street entrance from Washington and India is a one way street. There are plenty of signs saying do not enter and one way, but this still seems to perplex people. My guess is that they don't realize that they simply have to go around the block to another street to exit the neighborhood. Knowing that they are not supposed to turn left on the street, many people take the risk and hurriedly rush down the hill. I've never seen an accident or anything, but I do wish that people were logical enough to realize that a simple trip around the block would accomplish the exact same thing. 

Trolley Affairs

I remember in one of my undergrad classes reading an article about how impersonal the public has become due to portable music devices. This specific article was about Walkmans, so it was old school. The premise was that when we have headphones on, we are less inclined to communicate with individuals and to really observe the world. There was the counter-argument that you can observe the world better if you are tuned out from the distractions and conversations surrounding you - while listening to music. 

I actually find having headphones on very liberating. Not only do I not have to respond to bums asking for money, but I also don't have to listen to the crazy ones on the trolley. Sure, I might miss some interesting comments or conversation, but the benefits outweigh the risks. 

Does anyone else ever wonder if they keep track of the miles on the trolleys? I wonder if they have an odometer on those beasts. If you think about it, the ones in San Diego go all the way from near El Cajon all the way down to San Ysidro - all day long. I wonder what the lifetime for a trolley is. Cars are normally good for 200-300,000. 

Another thing that I find very interesting is how the mail system works. If you think about it, the postal service reads the mail backwards: first the state and zip code, then street and street number, then any kind of apartment or unit. We fill out the address forwards and then they read it backwards - which is the logical way of doing it. Is this why addresses in other countries seem backwards to us? 

NBA Inside Stuff

First of all, I'm disappointed in Lebron James. What poor sportsmanship - not shaking the Magic's hands after the game. Furthermore, he said, "It's not being a poor sport or anything like that...If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them...It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake someone's hand." What a terrible statement to release. I like that he doesn't have big time agents like Scott Boras and that he is giving his friends a chance to succeed in his empire. I have much respect for Lebron for giving his long-time friends jobs as his agent and PR people, but that was perhaps evidence that they need to be more careful.  

They have been showing a T-Mobile commercial with Charles Barkley and Dr. J where the two are making a video game entitled, Old Timers. Supposedly it is a spoof because the game would feature playing as the old-timers when they are old. Ironically, there is a clip (that I could not find) of Sir Charles trying to show a basketball move under the hoop. When he goes up to make the shot, he maybe gets two inches off the ground. Hilarious. 

My most recent Youtube obsession is the keyboard cat. Where something awkward or bad happens, the cat comes along and 'plays him off.' Notably. one of these videos feature Sir Charles trying to hit a drive on a golf course. Again, hilarious.

SE7EN

So Tuesday morning was the big hoorah swearing-in. Although I had already been sworn in, I wanted to get a free breakfast from USD and get my federal court admission. USD held its breakfast at Currant, which is located at the Sophia Hotel (see pic below). It was a great breakfast as far as food and attendees. However, I noticed the realtively small number of actual bar-passers. In fact, of the 30 or 40 people that attended, only eight or nine actually were bar-passers (accompanied by a guest). This made me consider how excessive the breakfast was - at least for the large number of admin that attended. The speakers and basic admin would have been sufficient, yet everyone wanted to tag along for a free breakfast. Would you expect anything else from a school with too much money?


Speaking of excess, I have begun to have a problem with government employees. As I have rapidly drifted to the left side of the political spectrum, I am all for social reform. However, this doesn't mean we have to continue to employ incompetent or excessive individuals. The problem with the government scheme is that people get promoted merely by being employed for a certain length of time. There really is no merit-based promotion. In addition, I believe there are too many government employees. If you have one efficient and competent employee, that easily could replace two incompetent or ineffecient employees. Think of any time you see road construction - isn't someone always standing around doing nothing? Obviously this is a hard time to be cutting jobs, yet to really balance our budget these cuts should be made.


Why the hell is Honey, I Shrunk the Audience still the 3-D show at Disneyland? I mean, Captain EO was there for 11 years - and now HISTH has been there over 11 years. Does that make any rational sense? I will admit that HISTH is a fun ride, but once you've gone at it a single time - you know what to expect. On the other hand, although Michael Jackson is kind of a freak, Captain EO was absolutely awesome. Speaking of ride changes - shouldn't Star Tours get an update?

A Long Sojourn

So I ran out of salad dressing and had to use one of the roomies' ranch dressing. Meanwhile I was drinking some of the wine that Brian so graciously gave me last weekend. When I went to take a drink from the wine glass though, memories of the eighth grade were resurrected. Not that I was drinking wine or had run out of salad dressing in the eighth grade, but that having greasy ranch lips makes your glass look nasty. Before our winter ball a group of my friends, along with our dates, went to a local winery for dinner. There we were served sparking apple cider in wine glasses. This is where I remember seeing my greasy ranch lip prints on the glass and thinking that I had done something wrong. I wasn't sure if my parents had failed to teach me some basic etiquette (particularly considering the only alcohol I saw my parents drinking was Miller Genuine Draft or Kahlua). 

Speaking of sparking apple cider. I specifically remember one new years (the one time of the year my parents generally go out socially), my sister and I made Rice-a-Roni and had a few bottles of sparking apple cider to drink. In fact, I drank two just by myself. That stuff is some tasty juice! Yet by the time my parents got home I was puking just short of the sink in my bedroom (my sister and I shared a bathroom but had our own sinks). I'm sure my mom thought I had been drinking alcohol for the first time in my life that night. 

And yes, I did save Pepsi Points one summer to buy a pair of Tevas, now known as mandals. They were actually pretty sweet, with a Pepsi logo on the back. If you're from the Pacific Northwest you understand the utility of such sandals, particularly in rivers. I also ordered a Pepsi beach chair (see above) and a CD case. I guess my family was REALLY into Pepsi that summer. 

Beer, Beans and Bums

I have really had some poor service in restaurants lately - and it's not my group that gets poor service - its just myself. At The Field on Wednesday the waitress forgot my drink not once, but twice. At Shakespeare's the waitress forgot my water not once, but twice - and the second time I saw her give it away to another table because she couldn't remember what table it went to. 

Tim O'Leary and I arrived at the pub at 6am - to get seats for the FA Cup final, which started at 7am. They couldn't even serve alcohol until 8am, so all the 'football' fans had to wait. Meanwhile the kitchen opened at 7am so we ordered breakfast. Keeping in line with my trying to order new things, I got the 'baked beans on toast,' which was just precisely that. They dumped an entire can of baked beans on two slices of toast - and it wasn't bad at all. Kind of like this man, who was sitting in a bathtub full of baked beans. 

On a similar note, I know that I keep track of all of the particularly notable 'downtown crazies.' However, I have begun to wonder and theorize why transients are so prevalent in the downtown sectors of cities. Is it because its mainly an industrial or business center and people aren't around at night? As in, people would mind if a bum was loitering around their suburban neighborhood. Personally I would want to be at the beach, where at least I could sleep in the sand and wake up on the beach. 

Another thing I want to add to my mission to the homeless population: headphones. I often notice some of them have some kind of boombox or speaker system. Not that I don't think it is awesome that they bump their music, but I think they would get more respect if they had some headphones. So far this means I need to start collecting and distributing headphones and sunscreen. 

The Northwest Passage

Well although I passed the bar exam (one of the biggest events in my life), I remained relatively sober and non-reckless - with my graduation looming the next morning. This was important because I think the last time I really embarrassed my family (whole drunk-diaper thing). If anyone was wondering what I did upon receipt of the degree, I did another jump kick. Nonetheless, I had a great weekend and was very happy that my family was in town. 

The Padres game lasted 16 innings on Saturday night, making that yet another extra-inning game that I have attended. I must be good luck for people wanting to get their money's worth and not wanting to be able to drink for most of the game. On Sunday night we patronized Pizza Bella in Old Town (the above image was in the image results - not sure what E.T. has to do with the pizza place). Anyways I enjoyed the restaurant and the food was good. We ordered the 'Sigma Chi' pizza. No, Eric, I did not ask why it was named that. It was a hybrid of a good and bad pizza - meat lovers w/ marinara base vs. primavera veggies w/ pesto base. I will go ahead and recommend trying it. 

Before my family left on Monday, I took them for a walk down the Embarcadero. I have been running along the 'baywalk' for a few months but have never really had the time to enjoy the scenery. I did notice the presence of a lot of rubbish/trash washed up on the shore and hope to arrange a embarcadero clean-up. Most notable of our walk was the gigantic statue of a sailor and, presumably, his wife dipping/kissing (see above). And FYI you could not see up her dress - it was all molded together. Most creepy was the Bob Hope tribute, where lifelike statues stood in the middle of a park square. 

From Russia With Love

Have you ever noticed those 'baby on board' signs? I have never understood exactly what their purpose was. Am I not supposed to not hit you as hard? Drive as crazy around you? Flip you off and yell vulgarities at you? Is your baby sleeping and I should turn down my music and not honk? I don't think any driver, reasonable or not, would change their driving habits when they suddenly see such a sign.


My new idea that I would like to get spread around is for everyone to 'retire' rather than 'quit.' I actually came up with this idea before Brett Favre has made a living off of it. No matter what age you are, you can retire. Who says retiring means having enough money to live for the rest of your life? Don't most retired people still make investments and still have income? All I'm saying is instead of quitting your next job, tell them you are retiring. You can always come out of retirement, just like this youngster.


Finally, I saw Star Trek last night - which was awesome. There were sad moments and funny moments and lots of action. The actors were great too. Although it is enjoyable for any denomination of trekkie, I suggest at least having an basic understanding of the main characters (Kirk, Spock, Bones, Ohura, Sulu, Checkov, and Scotty). As I left the theatre, I saw the trolley pulling up two blocks away. Not wanting to wait another 30 minutes, I did a full out spring to successfully catch it.

When I got off the Trolley at my stop, I saw an old man standing at the edge of the platform (mind you this was near midnight on a Monday night). He asked me, with a thick Russian accent (like Checkov's) where the Denny's was. Fortunately I knew that the weird Denny's 'China Camp' was just down the street (probably 1.5 miles away actually). Nonetheless I told him where it was, to which he further inquired, "is it near a strip club?" I answered in the affirmative, as I knew that Pure Platinum was on the way.

Great Expectations

See No Evil
On my bike ride back yesterday I rode past the Gator by the Bay at Spanish Landing. It actually looked like a lot of fun with cajun food and a ton of live music. Maybe I will go next year. However, the most interesting thing I saw was just a few blocks past the event. I saw a camouflaged bum doing the MC Hammer 'magic knees' dance. This is the closest video I could find.



Hear No Evil
Earlier in the day I had stopped at the Embarcadero to read my current book (Anthem by Ayn Rand). I stopped by a bench near a dock to enjoy the sun and any fly-overs from the Red Bull Air Race. Yet again, the most interesting thing that happened was the product of nearby passerby-ers. I noticed a couple that had suddenly stopped right in front of me. From the way the man was talking (and after looking at her ring finger), I knew they weren't married. The man had been talking about some fancy restaurant he always goes to. Meanwhile, they had walked directly behind where I was sitting and the conversation got weird. The man said something to the extent of the following: "Well the gentlemanly thing for me to do would be to walk you to your car and open your door. But your car is so far away. So you could get into my car and I would tie you up and ductape you." I'm sure he was trying to be funny, but with a complete stranger nearby, they are lucky I didn't call the police.

Do No Evil
On Friday night I caught a cab with Jordon and Mat. We found one right outside of Jordon's place, at 14th and Broadway. We told the driver that we were going to 10th and J. Yet when we got to 10th Street, the driver didn't turn. Mat pointed this out, to which the driver replied, "It's better to walk." We shrugged off this first error as a mistake. Yet when he passed 8th street (can only turn left on even streets) we began to get worried. Mat asked if the driver would take a dollar off the fare for the mistake, to which the driver replied, "You can't turn down 10th street." The driver turned right (the opposite direction from where we were going) on 7th street and stayed in the middle lane. Both Mat and Jordon told the driver that we needed to turn right and go down either 8th or 10th street. The driver remained in the middle lane with no turn signal or intention of turning right. At that moment we told him we are getting out and not paying - both of which we did.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

While waiting in the 90-minute line to get into Freds (Old Town) last night, I came up with a new idea and remembered an old idea of mine.

The first is a kind-of fool proof waiting line (queue for the Brits and Irish). Basically rather than using ropes or letting people form lines themselves, there will be shoulder-high barriers that people have to file into. This will prevent any kind of cutting or spot-in-line saving. I realized that there does have to be some escape for emergency, bathroom and give-up-on waiting situations. For a pertinent example of an emergency situation, see my Brussels, Belgium post about the entire line getting maced. To resolve this dilemma, I came up with an exit system. It will be like the exit system to certain parking lots, where they have the spikes that you can run over, but can't back over or enter in the opposite direction. The exits in my line system will be similar in that people can freely exit, but they cannot return.


The old idea that I remembered spawned off of a Vista article that I actually wrote during undergrad. In that article I told the story of my friend's purchasing a 1982 Ford Granada (pictured above - pretty sweet ass sweet!). For $100, my friend's older brother bought the beast. A racing stripe was painted down the middle, a 'sunroof' was cut out and the skull of a steer was put on the front of the vehicle. The best part though, was that the car would backfire whenever you stepped on the gas. We scared the crap out of people. Unfortunately the Granada died when a friend drove it into the mountains, where it now rests in peace.

As we all have learned to despise public safety and similar officers, in my high school it was no different. The idea that I came up with, I will so humbly admit, was ingenious (although it never was completed). My plan was to purchase a car for $100, much like the granada. I was going to drive the car into the head public safety officer's parking space, then remove the wheels and fill the car with sandbags. The goal was to make the car immobile, that is, untowable. I couldn't imagine the look on the head security officer's face and the effort it would have taken to get the car out of his spot. If only I was so bold!

I Like Turtles

From the very first time I smelled Old Spice Pure Sport, I knew I would use no other deodorant. It just smells amazing. Fortunately I have the armpit hair of a 12-year-old boy so I don't have to worry about anti-perspirant.  For shampoo, face wash, toothpaste, etc. - I always change it up. I am never satisfied with a single brand and product. However, I think Old Spice has done it again. The Old Spice body wash is pretty amazing - and I don't feel like a woman using some non-masculine product. For that matter, how was I tricked into using a luffa for an entire year before realizing I was breaking some man laws?

Normally I would add this character to the 'Downtown Crazies' section to the right, but I think I need more space to adequately describe this story. So a few days a week I run from my house, around the airport and then along the bay (about 4 or 5 miles). Normally on the PCH/Airport intersection  (across from the most expensive Shell station in town), there is a a man who sits on a stool and flags traffic to make it safer for pedestrians to cross. What is interesting about this man is that he is not commissioned by anyone to do it - he just does it. 

But yesterday there was another individual. As I was approaching him, he made a motion like he was throwing (imaginary) jacks (see picture above) into the intersection.  Either that or he was casting a spell upon all of the vehicles. He gave me enough room to run by, but he gave me a weird look. I was worried he would throw some 'jacks' at me. On my way back I could see him from a distance. This time his back was to the intersection, but his arm was straight out and his fist was clenched. I was worried he would either punch me or throw something at me. And I was right. As I ran by he made the throwing/casting motion directly in front of me. If I wasn't in the middle of a run I would perhaps have role-played with him. 

My household has now spent $55 on lighting for our Halfway to Halloween party. We have exchanged all of the lights in the house with either black or orange lights. Should be interesting to see what it looks like in the dark. We set up tiki torches all along the walkway and front yard. As for decorations, we were limited to what people had in their possession - as all the party stores did not have anything in stock (considering it is May). My only contribution was my George W. Bush mask that kind of looks like a jack-o-lantern. Either way, it should be a blast. 

Drink the Kool-Aid

If you are reading this and enjoy this blog, please become a follower (middle of the right column). I will excuse you for not commenting. If more people are enjoying this, I will try to post more often. Cheers.

Justice is Blind

Whenever I get a parking ticket or a speeding ticket or even a trolley ticket - I obviously become upset. But I am really upset because I think that I deserve it less than other people. I always see individuals talking or texting while driving. I always see people (excessively) speeding or not stopping at stop signs/lights. I even saw someone talk their way out of a trolley ticket. Am I not good enough at talking my way out of things or do I just have bad luck?

The trolley station is about three blocks west of my house, so I get to see a lot of traffic each day. In fact the I-5 South exit (Hancock Street)/Washington Street intersection is one of the worst lights ever - if any light were to make me go insane and run it, this is it. The next intersection, India/Washington, is probably one that has the most accidents I have ever seen. I would say at least once a week there is an accident here. The final intersection I have seen people make u-turns on a blatant red light while a cop was right behind them. Something about this three block stretch makes for good commentary.


A week or two ago, I had an amazing walk home. I always put on my iPod as I am walking home, so I can' t really hear what is going on. Nonetheless I still only cross when the white stick figure tells me to. As I was crossing the second intersection, the San Diego trolley (on wheels not the track) was blocking the far lane from seeing if anyone was crossing. When I passed in front of the trolley, a limo stormed into the crosswalk and nearly hit me. I walked up to the drivers door and raised my arms and yelled, "come on." I walked to the back of the limo and made this same gesture to the passenger in the limo.

At the next intersection, I fared no better. This time the car did not stop at all at the light and just turned right, nearly ending my life. Yet justice would be served this time, as a cop was sitting at the intersection and decided not to be lazy and pull the driver over. As the cop turned on his lights and pulled the car over, I raised my arms again and gave a loud cheer. Meanwhile everyone enjoying their espresso at Gelato Vero probably were wondering what the hell I was listening to on my iPod. I walked up the street to watch the officer citing the driver, with much joy inside.

Machinations

There is some weird psychology in working/living on a higher floor than another. At my current job I work on the 18th floor and there are only five floors above me. For some reason, I feel confident when I push that 18 button while everyone else is below me. I end up holding my head high while they look down at the ground. Even if it is some accomplished attorney or professional, the mere fact that I am going to a higher floor than them means I am somehow cooler. How do I know this? Well I just had to go to the 7th floor instead and definitely felt less cool than those going above and beyond me.

Something that is really not cool is the Sci-Fi Channel remake of Jason and the Argonauts as well as their rendition of The Odyssey. First of all, the original 1963 Jason and the Argonauts was one of the greatest claymation movies EVER. Seriously seeing the bronze statues come to life and Jason fight the skeletons was awesome . Now the remake is just absolute crap. The CGI is OK but the acting is terrible. My complaint about The Odyssey is similar, but also includes that the movie does not follow the actual text.

I don't understand why women's bicycles have the lower, slanted bar and men's have the higher, horizontal bar between the seat and the handlebars. I suppose it would make sense in the olden days when women would be wearing a dress or skirt and had to side-saddle their way on. But nowadays women don't ride bikes with either of those on. And men, for obvious reasons, suffer at the height of the bar on their bikes. This should be switched.

I still posit my theory about the Pacific Beach/Mission Beach bicycle theft ring. So many people have had their bikes stolen and I refuse to believe it is just random thefts. Anyone who ever had their bike stolen would always be on the lookout for it in the near future. My theory is that there is some group that actually steals them or buys the stolen ones, then either puts them in hiding for a year before selling them or ships them to another place to sell. If it is the latter, that means the bicycle theft ring could be regional or even international.

Stranger in a Strange Land

There are a few things that really both me about online interaction:

When someone sends out an Evite, they can see if you have viewed the invitation. You can't hide it. So when you don't respond, it can often be insulting. When you don't respond after a week or two to determine your availability, it may hurt the sender/inviter. I know there probably is some time range that is appropriate for sending out an Evite, but sending it out too early should not be a bad thing. People are often busy and need to plan things that far in advance. So my rule here is to respond to the invitation within a week or two. This means starring the email in your inbox if you have to, to remind you to respond.

Another thing that bugs me is the 'maybe' category, simply because I don't like gray areas. I would guess that 9/10 maybes end up not coming to an event. Either do something or don't do something, don't be too cool to commit or not commit. Exceptions do apply.

People often talk about how annoying it is when an individual constantly updates their status on Facebook or Twitter. Although I have never used Twitter, I know how annoying it is when someone updates their Facebook status too often. At least Facebook has the option of 'Hiding' people. If I had to choose a rule it would be a once a day maximum. In fact, people should only update their status if something interesting or important happened to them. It might be easier to keep in touch and communicate with people this way, but most of your friends really don't care that you went to CPK for dinner.

Note: Although you can choose the 'Hide' option on actual Facebook, it doesn't apply to the Facebook application. So you may still be bombarded unless you remove the friend.

Finally, being a blogger and all, it sometimes is difficult to tell if people actually read my blog. The only way to really tell is if they leave comments. When people don't leave comments, it is discouraging. People often tell me that they enjoy my blog even though they never comment. I know I can probably get some visitor-tracker on my blog but I don't want to be Big Brother (even though I don't mind Big Brother). I don't want people to always leave comments (although I appreciate it), but if you leave one just every so often, it motivates me to continue writing.

Miss USA Pageant (Donald Trump's version of Miss America)

Here is a summary of the final five contestants' questions and answers. You decide who the winner should be.

North Carolina
Question: Should tax dollars be used to bail out corporations?
Answer: No, should be used to improve education and welfare.

Arizona
Question: Should the U.S. implement universal healthcare?
Answer. It's an issue of integrity. No matter where on the political spectrum you fall, it's an issue of integrity.

California
Question (asked by Perez Hilton): Should gay marriage be permitted?
Answer: I am proud to live in a country where people have a choice who to marry. I was raised to believe marriage is between a man and a woman, but I am glad people have a choice.

Utah
Question: Should America continue to help countries abroad when we are suffering at home?
Answer: Yes, because one of our founding characteristics was to help other countries.

Kentucky
Question: Would you speak up against domestic violence?
Answer: Yes.

Mixed Tape

As many of you know, breakfast is my favorite meal. Although I don't like eggs or cheese, I love pancakes, waffles and french toast. I also love cereal. In particular, my favorite cereals are Oh's, Cracklin' Oat Bran and Frosted Mini Wheats. If you have never tried Oh's or Cracklin' Oat Bran, I strongly recommend them. COB can run around $6 a box (which is rather small) but sometimes you can find it on sale for $4. Definetely worth it.

Something I have been doing lately is mixing my cereals. This originally occurred when I would use the end of a box of cereal and not have enough, so I would add some from another box. (By the way the end of many cereal boxes - the debris as I call it - is for sure the best part of the entire box.) Yet lately I have been intentionally mixing the cereal. Right now I have been mixing Life and Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. It is a nice little change to anyone's daily routine.

This seems like such a great idea. Mixing your favorites. Look at the mixed tape (now mixed CD). Before the iPod could be used in cars, the mixed tape/CD was the greatest thing. You didn't have to listen to that weird track between Motown Philly and I'll Make Love to You. You could just put all of your favorites on one tape/disc.


On the other end of the spectrum is mixing a whole batch of things. Examples include a Long Island Iced Tea/Tokyo tea and a graveyard/suicide/911 (nine-one-one). Different people called mixing all the sodas/pop different things. I personally grew up calling it a graveyard. Although suicide or 911 sounds unfamiliar to me, it means the same thing: you are so daring that you are mixing ALL of the sodas into one drink that you might DIE! The best part was, it actually didn't taste that bad.

Between graveyards/suicides and Halloween, I'm surprised most children's teeth have not completely dissolved. The miracle of the human body.

What Dreams May Come

The only good way to remember dreams is to write them down. Preferably soon after you first remember them. So with that I will recap what I recall from last night.

My first dream was about dying. In fact, maybe I actually did die and now this is the afterlife. Or maybe this is an separate reality. Heaven or hell was actually like Dante's Inferno, with many different levels. Each level was a colored ramp, pretty much the entire spectrum of the range. (I would guess I dreamed of ramps because I had just watched Fantasy Factory.) So each ramp represented a different level of heaven or hell. I think the more ramps you could go up the better of a person you were. The interesting thing was, whatever level you were on, you could fly down to lower levels. But you could not fly up.

My second dream was about animals. I was at some wild animal park that was open - where people could walk around and approach all of the animals. I remember one of my friends was attacked by a fox I think, and then another by a komodo dragon. Then the dragon came and bit me in the leg. I got him off and then ran away into an open room, where people were playing cards.