Cyberstalking is Fun with Good ol' Mike

Between Thanksgiving and taking a day off for Morrissey, I wound up having 5 days off of work in a row. It was oddly relaxing and uneventful. Usually I cram my free time to capacity with traveling or big tasks, or at least shopping. Not this time.

On the last day of vacation, JP and I met up for brunch at a local greasy spoon called The Old Mill. Mark and I used to go all the time because it's cheap and normal. It's a little run down, but it's charming, in a local cafe type of way. I had the veggie omelet with cottage cheese, and JP had the veggie burger.



Later, we walked to the local coffee shop with the intention of reading. Unfortunately, the people next to us were on some kind of blind date or interview and were really loud. I wound up cracking open my laptop and looking at funny ebay sales.



That night, we watched Breaking Dawn Pt 1. I thought it was great! I was a big fan of the books. I can't wait for Pt 2, which comes out next November.

It's been a slow morning. All I've done so far is sit around and listen to music. What have I been listening to? Let me tell you.

James Brown - Funky Christmas

xxtapemakerxx hipped me to this one. It's really fun. I'll have this one in rotation for the next month. I was happy that JP identified it as "early James Brown" instead of saying, "Is this Kanye West?"

Scott Weiland - The Most Wonderful Time of Year

OMG What?! This album showed up on a site where I occasionally get my music. Under the album cover, it said, "Because you *know* you're intrigued..."

It's really fun! For most of the disc, he sounds really good. There were a few songs where he sounded affected and out of tune, but what do you expect from a 90's grunge rocker who can't stop doing heroin?

Morrissey - You are the Quarry Deluxe Edition

I have a few Morrissey Deluxe Editions, but I need this one. You Are the Quarry is so well-produced and catchy. The deluxe edition has a bunch of b-sides and comes with a bonus DVD. I found it on Amazon used for $6. Yes.

On top of everything else going on this past weekend, we had plans on meet some friends at Disneyland on Sunday. JP and I got there at about 11am. By noon, it was raining hard and martini_tim and bigsabu were ready to go.

JP, Matt and I decided to tough it out. We wound up having a really fun, albeit wet, day.



At one point in the afternoon, we ducked out of the pouring rain and in to the Grand Californian for some cocktails and lady time.



Later, we saw the Aladdin show and hit Tower of Terror, Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion and Star Tours. We did not appreciate It's a Small World. Our boat was partially flooded (not our fault!), so our shoes got soaked.

At the end of the long day, we were all glad we came. Matt and I wound up renewing our annual passes, so we're back to being able to go whenever we want!

I found out Guns n Roses are playing a show in Los Angeles on December 21st. I'm aware that "Guns n Roses" now means Axl Rose and a hired backup band, but I'm still a fan. Plus the people watching will be off the chain.

However, my patience and endurance were tested this morning.

- 8am I got up and listened to some new footage of GnR on YouTube. Yikes. Axl can't hit a high note to save his life, and the band plays every note verbatim, with no soul or improvisation. That guitar player is no Slash.



- 8:30am I got a random call from New York. For a second, I thought "Maybe it's Andy!!!" but I let it go to voicemail anyway.
- 9am I got a text from Bank of America (the people that had called) that my debit card was compromised and I need to call them back. I called. Sure enough, they cancelled my card due to a "security breach".

"But, I need to pay for something in an hour. I'm just hosed?" I asked.
"Well, you can get a temporary card at the nearest Bank of America."

- 9:40am I ran to the bank and got my new card. The lady that helped me was very nice. Thanks Bank of America. You're alright!



- 10am Ok, how do I log in for the LiveNation presale? Turns out the LiveNation presale tomorrow. Aw, man!
But the Fan Club presale is today. I Googled around to try to find the presale code or to maybe sign up for the Fan Club. Turns out the "Fan Club" is the Facebook page, which I'm already a fan of. Presale code is DEMOCRACY. Nailed it.

- 10:01am Bought tickets!

It's going to be quite an evening. I think we should dress up as 80's heavy metal fans. The last time I saw GnR, they didn't go on stage until like 2am. I hope that's not the case this time.

I think the biggest change that has happened to me over the past year is I have found myself with the ability to make things happen. Good things, happy/fun/selfish things. Over the past year, I've gone to both New Orleans and New York for the first time, and I've also gone on some great weekend trips with JP to Palm Springs (Hi, qbear and rootbeer1!) and San Francisco (Hi, 50poundnote and franken_bear!).

Of course, all of this was made possible by my amazing, ultra-supportive friends. Thanks guys!

This weekend is no exception. This morning I was pouting about missing a certain theme park in the Anaheim area. A friend of mine said, "yes... let's make that happen! stat!"

A few text messages later, and we have an instant day trip planned. I love it.