Saturday, December 25, 2010

Remission

Syncopated heartbeats
drum minds, dull senses
Whispering long lost memories,
eluding vacant defenses.
The promise of a new year,
new choices, new beginnings
Reveals how much subconscious
repressions are winning.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Vintage

I love antiques.

I hate antique stores.

Can I have my cake and eat it, too, please?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Blur your eyes
if you can't see me.

I want to be
your new disguise.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Stay Trashy

Feeling trashy getting busy,
gonna fly away to Mars.
Got my six string fully loaded,
and I'm playing for the stars.

Above me all around me,
I feel a memory slip away,
but it doesn't even matter,
'cause I drink until it stays.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Flying High Now (or "I want" as seems to be the case)

I feel like I am at another one of those points in the story of my life where a montage needs to take place.

What I mean is this: Picture in your mind The Karate Kid (I mean the 1984 Ralph Macchio, not the 2010 Jackie Chan film, though that was an amazing film in its own right). After Daniel deals with all the Cobra Kai problems and gets things sorted out, there is a mini montage of him having protected contact with the members. Just to kind of show how the day to day went, but the big storyline things already happened. Then, after we saw all of the different mundane, yet useful tasks (such as wax on, wax off) Daniel had to go endure with Mr. Miyagi, and we have Mr. Miyagi's drunken pain sequence, and then it goes to a training montage. It shows Daniel just doing his day to day training and preparation for the fight up ahead, and ends with him getting ready to go see Ali.

I want that.

Right now, I feel like I'm in the grind. I would love for things to hit fast forward right now. I want a song to become the theme of this part of my life and sweep me from day to day and moment to moment and sunset to sunset as I work and prepare and save and store. I want the mundane elevated on the drum solo of a power ballad, spurred on by the wailing of an electric guitar.

But of course, I want things to slow down on my schedule. I want to have those moments with my female lead be on film and be memorable. Time can slow down for those. I want our love to purple the hearts of those around. I want to kiss her underneath fireworks, in front of waterfalls, on a retaining wall of the Pacific during high tide. I want moonbeams to illuminate her eyes like God's stage lighting. I want to tell her I love her, and will be there for her as the sun splashes the sky with rose and crimson. I want to hold her hands in mine with holy palmer's kiss, our hands doing as our lips. I want Bryan Adams or Peter Cetera to play on the radio as we careen down Del Dios Highway. I want to smell her hair as my chin rests upon her head and my arms envelop her like a gypsy breeze on an October day.

I think overall I crave a sense of knowing that where I'm heading will work out. I'm working three jobs and trying to write. I want to write. The jobs are a means to an end. I want my written words to be my deeds. Why should I have to pick which is better? I want to help my brothers succeed.

I want the montage to kick in and take me to the All Valley Karate Tournament on the day of the fight. I want to crane kick the barriers in my way. I want to be published.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Mission/78

I submitted this poem as one in a set to the San Diego County Poetry Annual 2010-11. Who knows what'll happen.

Mission/78

I fell in love with the girl in the rear view mirror
as I drove home from school today.
She wore unassuming white sunglasses
and followed behind me most of the way.

I glanced back again and again
her brown hair crinkled about her head.
She could have sped and passed around me
but remained behind me instead.

Eventually we parted ways
I went east and she went south.
As she passed she turned and gazed
with an upturned nose and smirking mouth.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Pet Peeve Positively Pinpointed

A local man pinpointed a new pet peeve Friday after watching television.

Mike Treadway, a 23-year-old Caucasian male, was watching "Firefly" with his 27-year-old brother, Josh, when his brother rose to make dinner during an episode. Seemingly confused and annoyed, Treadway paused the episode so that Josh wouldn't miss important dialog and plot elements, sources said.

After hours of reflecting on this and other similar circumstances, Treadway came to a new realization. It makes his blood boil when viewers do not pay attention to a television show or movie.

"I guess I just don't understand it when people watch a show or movie and spend the whole time texting or walking around or talking. It's one thing when you have to pee in a movie theater, but you can pause anything at home these days," said Treadway.

Treadway is a firm believer of paying attention to whatever it is you are watching. It avoids what he calls stupid questions.

"It just seems that if we're both watching something, and you turn to me and ask for a plot recap of something that just happened or was confusing because you missed something earlier, and it was in no way confusing, then you have really no interest in watching it in the first place," said Treadway.

When asked how he planned to deal with this new pet peeve, Treadway said he would probably passive-aggressively complain about it on his blog.



Fallen Brethren

I went into Albertsons today and I came to a realization: soda has gotten really expensive.

They were selling a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi for $1.69! On sale! From $1.99! *Gasp* *Ack* Since when has brand name soda been that much?

A little shocked, a lot confused, I walked outside towards my car. To my right a line at the Redbox was beginning to form. DVDs from a vending machine. What a day we live in. Then a question hit me right between the eyes: where did all the soda vending machines go?

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself this one? Where, outside of a theme park or other such places, have you last seen a soda vending machine? And not bottles, but cans. I am talking about a soda can vending machine. Put a quarter in, a 12 oz. can of soda comes out. Now we swipe a credit card and get the newest release starring Jennifer Lopez or Aniston (or insert crap actor whose movie I'll likely never willfully see). Mind decay instead of tooth decay seems to be on the agenda.

Next time I go to the grocery store I want to make a libation of a 12 oz. in honor of those beautiful machines that quenched my thirst on so many Escondido summer days.

Like so many other things, now that I know they're gone, I miss them.

P.S. Do you remember how every store had their own kind? Some play on a real soda name, like Dr A+ at Albertsons. (Am I supposed to think that guy was first in his class or something?) Price Club had Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer. Amazing.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Entitlement

Dear Blog,

Earlier tonight you (telepathically) sent me a message that said this:

Hey. How's it going? So, I know we haven't talked in a while, and I know that you've been using livejournal a lot, but I was wondering why you never come by anymore.

Excuse after excuse raced through my head. How can you say that! I don't have time for this right now. I work 6 days a week. I'm so busy, and I'm always tired in the evenings. It's always me that has to plan everything. I just need a little bit of me time.

Something struck a chord within me, though.

That's when I decided to visit you and see what all the fuss was about. That's when I saw it. March 11, 2010. Today is April 18, 2010. 5 weeks and I haven't written, I haven't called, I haven't even clicked the bookmark tabbed just below my URL. I've neglected you.

I apologize. I'm writing this to you as rain is sporadically drizzling down outside. The rain reflects my emotions and how sorry I am to have done this to you.

Please, can you ever forgive me?

Love always,

Mike

P.S. I promise I'll do better! Just give me another chance.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Substitute Teaching

I have been subbing at my old high school for a couple of months now. It wasn't too surreal to 'come back' or anything, because I worked here as a tutor last semester as well, but it is kind of surreal to be on a different plane with the teachers.

On Monday, I was making for my car to grab some lunch. In order to do this, I must cut through Pam's (Ms. Whiting's) room. On my way through she and Kristie (Ms. Dickens) were chatting. I greeted them and attempted to keep on going. Kristie then began to block my way as I tried to step around her. It happened a couple of times and then she looked at me and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to get through?"

This kinda of childlike behavior was mirrored in the staff meeting I had to attend yesterday. Teachers sat there talking, joking, knitting, laughing and not really paying the speaker all too much respect. Just like you always hear and never really believe.

Also, since substitute teaching I have begun to perfect the art of iPod and cell phone confiscation. The trick is to hold you hand out in front of them. More often than not they will just give whatever they have to you. If they don't, simply ask for it. Once again, more often than not, this will succeed. If they are still giving attitude, it's time to tell them about the referral they will receive or the trip to the office they and their iPod will have to make. Now you can be cool and listen to music in class just like them, since you have acquired a fancy ( though generally in poor condition) new iPod!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

2 Dollar Bills

In my opinion, the coolest denomination of money is the 2 dollar bill. I have saved all of the two dollar bills I've ever gotten. Sadly, I only have two of them. My grandfather gave me one back in about October or November and a couple of weeks ago I got one at the Jack-in-the-Box, or JIBS as my brother, Alan, so nicely puts it. I guess having never sought out one, it reflects their rarity.

The JIBS bill, I think, was a kind of gift or token from the drive-through guy. I was trying to figure out what Alan wanted to order and kept drawing out my words while talking to him, you know, like the wazzup of Budweiser commercial fame. It wasn't too surprising, but he matched my drawn out drawl with a raised-octave, drawn out will that be all for you. I wasn't sure if he was being funny, or being a douchebag, or both, so I decided the one up approach was best. No, that'll be all thanks, higher and longer was my counter offer. This continued for a couple of exchanges until I was told to approach the first window.
I turned to Alan and laughing, he concurred with my confusion of this guy either being a douchebag, or just having a good time at a potentially crappy job on a slow night.

So I approached the first window (which was weird if you've ever been through this drive-through. I can't ever think of a time I'd been called to the first window, and even when I got to the second window, the girl asked me to pay again, which I promptly refused) and saw a normal looking kid, speaking in a regular voice. I paid for the food, and as part of the change I got a pretty good quality 2 dollar bill.

So, of course, I like to think that this kid and I were just having a friendly, albeit weird, conversation. Who would give someone a 2 dollar bill as change if you were trying to be a douchebag. I mean, unless you consider that he might put no stock in the things, but I see that as a very unlikely scenario.

Monday, February 15, 2010

An useful application

So I was gchatting with a friend earlier tonight and decided it would be both useful and amazingly fun if facebook would release a filter (amongst their myriad updates), or someone would make an app, that would allow one to see all of his friends on facebook that are in a relationship. There could be a further mode which would allow one to see which of his friends are in a relationship with one another.

Now, no one needs to agree with me that this would be either useful/fun, because I understand that it would reflect poorly upon you to express desire for such a thing. An apt name for it might even be "the creeper." Regardless, that's why I'm posting this. So you can continue to be in hiding about your love of dishing, especially in regards to who is dating whom, and just muse upon the idea of a facebook where one could see all of his friends' relationship without relying on the random whims of the news feed.

Besides, as we all well know, it's not official unless it's facebook official. What better way to keep track of those serious couples.