Ryan of Irvine

dodgeball!

2008-06-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

hello everyone,
i am really really trying to start a dodgeball team to play in a league. let me know if you are interested. all of the info can be found at http://www.dodgeordie.com. the league starts on the 30th so let me know ASAP. i am thinking the sunday league would work well time wise. get in contact with me or leave me your contact info here. as of right now I have 4 people confirmed and we need a minimum of 6. however, we will take as many as we can get as you can substitute between every game.

let me know.

sample game blog

2008-06-12T19:48:00.001-07:00

see the post below.

http://ryancangame.blogspot.com

New Poll

2008-06-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

as many of you know i am very much into board gaming. i have been considering keeping a blog of my experiences and thoughts about gaming. i want to know your thoughts on this.

maybe i should just keep it on this blog?

let's play a game.

2008-05-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

A girl at my work forwarded everyone this email. Seems rather inappropraite to be sending this around an office environment...

Here is the game: Find your favorite part. Write a few sentences as to why you think it is a good point or a bad point. Even if you don't reply think about it. Please don't become inflammatory.

Here is the email:

Letter from one 'Angry Woman'

I don't know who wrote it but they should have signed it. Some powerful words. This woman should run for president.
Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?
Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was 'desecrated' when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for chopping off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide .

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care!!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem' -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.

'If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under' Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said: 'A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.'

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON,

AS MANY SEEM TO

maybe if i try hard enough i'll understand (i won't, and can't...)

2008-05-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

a very good blog entry. enjoy.

i probably should have shaved.

2008-05-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

i love my job. http://www.feedoc.org/

and...

2008-05-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

The argument against a more broad relativism (hereafter perspectivalism) charges that the argument for perspectivalism is self-refuting. This argument goes as follows:

1. Perspectivalism claims that all truth claims are subjective.
a. If a truth claim is subjective, then it is not True.
b. All Truth claims are subjective.
2. Thus, perspectivalism holds that there is no truth.
3. However, if there is no truth then perspectivalisms argument can also not be true.
4. Thus, perspectivalism is self refuting.

I believe this argument to be completely rigorous and sufficient in refuting perspectivalism. The pitfall of perspectivalisms argument is that “all truth claims are subjective.” This is false. I would hold that many truth claims are indeed true. For example, it is true that two hydrogen atoms bonded with one oxygen atom is water. This fact is true outside of any subjective interpretation. This fact is true whether or not humans even existed (though obviously there would be no proper name for hydrogen, oxygen, or water), and is thus not subjective. I will hold that I have successfully shown that perspectivalism is false. This was necessary in order to motivate that I am not of the opinion that all truth claims are relative. Instead, I hold that ethical claims are relative. The next step will then be to distinguish between an ethical claim and a truth claim and show how we can hold the former as being relative without having to admit it has the same shortcomings as the latter.

there is no spoon...

2008-04-25T13:51:00.001-07:00

Preliminary thoughts:

Ethical relativism has gotten a bad wrap. Indeed stoned college students, on their latest Nietzsche binge, have ferociously preached their perspectivalism with the same logical rigor of the latest truth.com ad. In my defense of ethical relativism I wish to distance myself from said group. It will be my intention to come up with a well reasoned, and thought out argument for why ethical relativism is true. To do this I will have to argue that ethical relativism, in its most strict sense, does not fall subject to the same critiques of a more broad relativism. It will first be necessary, then, to distinguish between the two theories. Essentially, my first goal will be to reason that the argument for ethical relativism does not refute itself in the way that other forms of relativism do. This argument will rest on the distinction between a truth claim and an ethical claim. I will conclude that charging a truth claim as merely being perspectival is flimsy and offers little to no philosophical substance. On the other hand, to charge an ethical claim as being relative raises serious metaphysical and epistemological problems that cannot be ignored by philosophers of morality and ethics. The first section will thus hope to establish that one can be an ethical relativist without, to put it plainly, having to commit that “everything is perspectival.”

soon to come...

2008-04-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

i have decided that i am going to attempt to flesh out a short defense of ethical relativism. hopefully it won't be horrible.

they dead

2008-04-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

if you're my friend you'll go listen to this. it's amazing.

what the shit is wrong with me?

2008-04-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

so i am slacking at work when i get a myspace message from some guy. the following is our exact correspondance with eachother via myspace messages:

him: Do you know a guy who went to Fullerton in the philosophy department named Adam Flamesomethingorother. Flamerstein? Something like that?

me: was he bald?

him: no. he's young.

note: i really like the assumption here that if some is bald it's because they're old. it should be noted that i do know an adam, he's young a philosophy major AND bald.

me: i don't think so then. do you know when he graduated?

him: damn. I don't. i think he graduated recently but maybe I'm wrong. Certainly in the last 5 or 6 years. I might have the last name wrong. Just a shot in the dark.

me: sorry i couldn't help ya. if you want to go for the hail mary you can join CSUFphilosophyclub group on yahoo and just spam out an email on there.

him: Thanks!

transaction over, right? no. i decided to follow up the conversation with this gem.

me: no problem. can i take a stab at the situation? here i assume the answer is yes

You met him at a club/party. Liked him a bit, but were too drunk to remember his last name. Maybe you even got his number but, due to alcohal, only wrote in five of the digits (i've done this) and now can't call him. Now you'd like to find him so you tried searching for CSUF philosophy majors but didn't come up with an Adam. You decided to message me, as I am undeniably one of the more attractive people that came up in your search, but unfortunately I was unable to help?

hahaa. sorry i have a weird sense of humor. Good luck.

cheers.
ryan

him: you're eerily close to the truth.

/end.

so, there are a couple of things particularly awesome about this whole ordeal. first and foremost is that i was "eerily" close to the situation. score for me. two is that of the philosophy majors that came up in his search, i am probably not the most attractive, but he didn't deny it. rather, my profile is ridiculously gay. as of right now i am rocking a miley cyrus song, my favorite movies are anything with john cusack, my favorite shows are dawson's creek, gilmore girls, and degrassi. i don't want kids, and there are multiple pictures of me kissing or being kissed by dudes.

fact of the matter, and paul shares my same sentiment, is i love gay guys.

am i really this ridiculous?

do you even know who i am?

2008-04-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

the other night i was at detroit bar with some friends. while closing out we noticed the guy next to us was staring at us. eventually he slid two shots of tequila our way and we took them together. he then whispered in my ear "i was L.C.'s first boyfriend," and proceeded to walk away.

totally awesome.

that's a xylophone, right?

2008-02-26T11:53:00.000-08:00

tomorrow

pbe with unpopable
mr. t's bowl
9pm show (pbe @10pm)
5621 1/2 figueroa blvd.
highland park 90042
(between ave 56 and ave 57; parking and entrance in the back)

setlist

bonedance, rodgers
myinnersatan, bailey
chaconne, brenner
fearless leader, bailey
cheap admiration, bailey
principle of sufficient irritation, bailey
the national anthem, radiohead

pbe

scott mcintosh, clarinet
paul bailey, trombone
john mahr, keyboard
ryan nunes, vibes
bruce gallego, electric guitar
matt menaged, bass

PBE Myspace

and it don't stop

2008-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

somehow things just keep getting better for me. for one, my relationship with Wendy is extremely strong. something about being with her just feels healthy and uplifting. in a lot of ways i keep pushing myself at work and in life because of her. it's not that i am doing it for her, but the fact she is always very positive and supportive of the decisions i make helps a lot. last week we celebrated valentines day at the melting pot.

the melting pot

originally i had made reservations at Cafe Hildago in Fullerton for Friday. however, on Friday i started getting nervous that she wouldn't like it too much considering most of the menu is seafood and my favorite dish, the Grilled Steak Chimichurri, isn't really her forte (though sometimes she does "crave" beef). I decided i would go for the hail mary and see if i could get a last minute reservation at the melting pot. luckily, i called right after someone cancelled a reservation at 730PM. perfect! i told Wendy i cancelled our previous reservations and that i wasn't going to tell her where we were going.

we arrived at the melting pot and were both very excited. i was excited because i love the melting pot, and she was excited because i had always talked about how much i love the melting pot (side note: does it seem selfish that i took her to one of MY favorite restaurants? eep). we were promptly seated and began to look over the menu, i made suggestions and we ordered. at this point i would urge readers who have not been to the melting pot to click on the link to get an understanding of how the meal works there, i assume some knowledge of the restaurant in my description.

we began our meal with blackberry margaritas and the mediterranean cheese fondue. both were very good. the top shelf tequila and the smooth blackberry finish made for a very good cocktail. the cheese was, maybe, the best i have had. it began with white wine, garlic, shallots, white truffle oil and was mixed with fontina, gruyere, and dates. at first i was skeptical as to whether the dates would be good or not, but i found they were a nice touch. next came the salads.

i got the mushroom salad and Wendy got the california salad. they were both very delicious and i always appreciate that they come after the cheese and before the main course. this, i think, prevents the meal from having too many heavy dishes back to back. they then brought us our main course.

the main course came with spicy pork, beef tenderloin, lobster tail, white shrimp, herb and garlic chicken, filet mignon, mushroom ravioli and cheese cannellini (i think). we ordered the coq au van broth to cook our meats in. everything was delicious. Wendy let me have all of the seafood, but did give the lobster and shrimp a try (she liked the shrimp better). We both agreed that the spicy pork was really good. my favorite was the filet mignon with the gorgonzola sauce on top of it. mmm. then came dessert.

stuffed with cheese, meat, and tequila i didn't think i was going to be able to shove anymore food down my throat. however, the raspberry dark chocolate fondue was just too good to resist. again, maybe my favorite chocolate i have had at the pot.

overall the meal was a success. Wendy and i both enjoyed our time together and the food was excellent. the only problem with going to the melting pot is that i crave cheese fondue for weeks after. put this together with the wonderful gift Wendy got me (learn spanish CD and text book!) and it was easily the best valentines day i have had to date.

now, onto the rest of my life.

Chi Town

my sister is getting married march 15th in chicago! Wendy and i booked our tickets to go up the 13th and come back on the 18th. when i went and told my new boss that i needed the time off, he came back with an offer. he told me that the company would send me to chicago on march 2nd for training at the A2H main office. they will pay me from March 3rd until march 15th and the training is only from the 3rd to 7th. so, basically i am getting a nice little paid vacation in there.

when i call my sister to ask her if i could stay with her, she informs me that her friend needs a house sitter for the first week i am there. so now i am getting a paid trip to chicago and i get to stay in a nice place by myself! on top of that Travis Morrison will be playing down the street from my sisters place. how totally awesome.

iPhone/Cell Status
after reading reviews of the iPhone and AT&T in general i have decided the iPhone, as of right now, would be a poor choice. i am now looking to get a blackberry pearl for a decent price. but thanks for voting!

also, i have officially acheived douche bag status with the my new jawbone. i really do think bluetooth things are obnoxious. but i hate talking on my cell while driving, plus its totally funny when i wear it.

Laser Tag

last night i went to play laser tag with paul. it was epic. i think i might join the national team and beat the hell out of some canadians.

doin stuff

2008-02-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

in December 2007 i started out as a lowely receptionist at the second harvest food bank of orange county. the manager of the agency relations department realized that the position wasn't utilizing my full potential and so i was promoted to programs assistant.

as programs assistant my job was to, essentially, clean up the mess that the previous programs assistant left. i did a good job. the agency relations manager realized that the job wasn't utilizing me to my full potential and so i was promoted to agency outreach administrator.

two weeks have gone since i became the agency outreach administrator. however, since we have not found the replacement for the programs assistant position i have basically been working two different positions. then the general manager of the whole food bank told me to come into his office yesterday.

he told me he has heard good things about me. he told me that he is a good judge of character. then he told me that he wants to put me on track to becoming the next operations manager. i accepted.

i never in my life thought i would want a job called "operations manager." furthermore, i never thought i would be the type of person to look forward to a job because of its potential to "build my resume."

so, i am pretty excited about all of this. to recap all that is going on in my life:

Second Harvest Jobs
Receptionist---->Programs Administrator---->Agency Outreach Administrator---->Operations Manager?

Me
awesome.

Family
my sister is getting married in march!

Relationship
very strong.

Philosophy Career
On Hiatus.

Paul Bailey Ensemble
Show Feb. 27th @ Mr. T's

Phone
MIA

Poll
to the right.

Game Ticker
still dope.

btw

2008-01-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

my recently played games ticker is dope. don't hate.

is it you, or your parents?

2008-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

i haven't been blogging lately. i've been way busy as of late.

quick update:

in a little over a month i have received two promotions from Second Harvest. this has resulted in a $4 dollar raise since i started. so, add this to my $400 paycheck from teaching and i am officially in a new income tax bracket.

holla.

told you!

2007-12-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

I walk into work this morning to find this email:

"Dear Ryan,
thanks for responding in a timely manner. My zip code is 92843 and thank you for all that you do you are a blessing to many
sincerely,
David"

for all of you who doubted me this should serve as proof that i am indeed basically like jesus.

booyah.

And It Don't Stop

2007-12-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

so i talk in my sleep a lot. the best part of it is that i often wake up and bring the people around me, if there are any, into my dream...or whatever is going on. last night i woke up and turned over to wendy and said "Seacrest, out." then i proceeded to laugh hysterically.

it just goes to show that even when i am asleep the awesome doesn't stop.

Merry Christmas Second Harvest Food Bank!

2007-12-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

So, it's Wednesday and i am back at work. i make it a point to get in 10 minutes early today because i am sure i will have a lot of messages. i come in and do my normal opening routine (lights, doors, computer, coffee...) then hit the message button.

"you have 53 new messages"

awesome. i begin to go through them, and for the most part i can't do anyting about them as there is a lot of "it's christmas eve and i want to give you food..." oh well. however, about 13 messages in i find a gem!

"this is why your shelves are empty," says the not so pleased woman.

fucking, yes. the message continues:

"here i am in orange with all of this goddamn food on christmas eve pissed off because i am sitting in a parking lot and can't find you. on top of all of this no one is picking up the goddamn phone. all i am trying to do is little goddamn good for christmas and you aren't there. that's fine, i'll take my food elsewhere.

totally and absolutely wonderful. i giggled and replayed the message three more times, continually laughing. she was just so angry! let me clarify a few things.

1) we're in Irvine. our old office was in Orange, but our website and (949) area code clearly suggest that we are no longer at the Almond address.
2) our shelves are far from empty. you would think she would know this seeing as how she donates to us so often...wait. we moved over two months ago and she has no clue as to our location! brilliant. furthermore, just last week we had so many chickens in our freezer that we were selling them for something like 9 cents a pound. empty indeed!
3) we were closed on christmas eve. perhaps she should have called sometime before the weekend and asked if we'd be open. then, maybe, she could have asked where we were located.
4) as a food bank we are generally happy when you donate food, even if its not to us!

anyways, this made my morning.

Good Morning

2007-12-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

i haven't blogged in a while. it seems life is starting to speed up and i am having a hard time keeping pace. i decided i would use this opportunity to write about my job, as so many of you are interested.

i work at the second harvest food bank M-F 8am-430pm. i am officially in the Agency Relations dept. but to be honest i am really just a secretary with some added responsibilities (w/o pay). the majority of my day is answering phones

goodmorningsecondharvestpleasehold
goodmorningsecondharvestpleasehold
goodmorningsecondharvestpleasehold
::transfer::
::transfer::
::transfer::

nothing too interesting obv. however, every now and then i get a phone call from someone who actually needs food for personal consumption. first i must explain to them that, as a food bank, we do not distribute food directly to people. rather, we distribute food to the people who distribute food...awesome, huh? i then ask them what city they are in and help them find agencies in their area that can actually feed them. unfortunately, our referral list is ancient and a good portion of our agencies are no longer agencies. this gets frustrating but i am willing to work with people as much as possible in order to possibly get them fed...this leads nicely into my next point.

i take this job seriously. i mean, ideally i am getting people fed. this to me is serious business. however, it doesn't seem like many other people here are all too worried about the responsibility working at a food bank demands. i say this by their constant avoidance of work (i had a guy simply turn off his phone!) and their less than rigorous work ethic. this dissapoints me. i realize all of us sometimes just take a job because we need it. hell, that's what i did at first. but after the first day i realized there is more to this job than the barely-above-minimum wage it earns. perhaps i just haven't sufficiently been beatin down by this job yet.

anyways, i like my job. sometimes it’s boring. sometimes it’s fun. sometimes It’s frustrating, and sometimes it’s just depressing. oh well, i look forward to seeing how i handle these things. apparently they are part of growing up (boo!).

come the musical revolution...

2007-11-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

All time top 5 bands or musicians (pop) that, come the music revolution, need to be laid to waste:

5. Elvis- besides his rumored (and by rumored i mean probably true. i just haven't actually done the research) exploitation of black music/musicians, elvis made some truly crappy music. at the top of this, imho, Teddy Bear. Gag.

4. Korn- i used to try and justify the existence of Korn by pretending that their drummer is actually pretty good. then the other day somebody told me "you can't be the best at making a shit-sandwich." that quote, for some reason, seems appropriate here.

3. Sting- orginally i wanted to put the police here, mostly because i despise the police. greg swears to me that the police made some decent songs, so i will withhold them from the list (at least for now). also, i will paraphrase a quote from greg: "somewhere along the line sting went from rock musician to scented candle." i agree greg.

2. Beastie Boys- there is so much good hip hop and rap out there, go find it. meanwhile, throw your copy of Hello Nasty in the garbage.

1. U2- hands down one of the most overrated bands of all time. on top of that, their fans are completely obnoxious. also, see bono and the edge. i hope to god that in 25 years we all realize our mistake and these douchebags get zero spin on whatever is the reputable "oldies" station. the last thing i want is for future generations to think that U2 is representative of the music we grew up with that is actually worth listening to. i can see it now:

"hey dad, did you ever listen to U2?"
"jesus christ no. here's a copy of nevermind, go listen to it now."

i would like to know your Top 5 for this list too. hit the comments. i also recommend you visit this blog as it is completely awesome. peace out.

Pics

2007-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

i haven't blogged in a bit. i have some ideas of stuff i want to write. in the meantime here are some pictures of me and wendy.

<3's

2007-10-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

we finally got a real picture together! maybe one day Wendy and i will too.

good vibes

2007-10-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Paul Bailey has posted MP3's from the show mentioned in the blog below. you can go listen to them here (lacc, 100207). also worth listening to, despite me not playing on it, is life's too short from the meng hall concert 092507.

cheers.

An Epic Week

2007-10-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

as mentioned before, i don't really like doing the whole "daily/weekly" update thing on my blog. however, this week was one for the history books...or at least A history book...particularly one about me...which i guess is more of a biography.

hmm.

An Epic Performance

tuesday was my first performance with the paul bailey ensemble in five months. paul and i had a brief falling out a little bit ago. luckily, we have reconciled since then. (who knew that a bazooka joe bubble gum addiction really can ruin lives?) i have missed being in paul's group, and getting the chance to play with them again has been high priority lately.

the show was at los angeles community college at 11AM! needless to say, sitting in traffic from downey all the way to ventura blvd. was not very fun. by the time i got to the college and found parking i only had about 50 minutes to put together my vibraphone, wheel it over to the stage, set up, and sound check. this was particularly stressful because i did not get a chance to actually rehearse with the group before this show. when it was all said and done i had a total of 15 minutes of rehearsal time before the performance.

much to my surprise it was a good performance. we played well and the audience was more than enthusiastic. there is something that is insanely cool about playing "academic" music to an audience and having them hoot and holler after every piece. during the performance i could hear the people sitting near me giggling at my dancing shenanigans. laugh all you want, the vibraphone is a difficult instrument to rock out on and i fucking bring it. overall the whole performance really reinforced what the political goal of the paul bailey ensemble is: to bring classical music back to the people. after the show i went outside to smoke a cigarette, and i felt more satisfied than i have in a long while. then we decided to go get lunch...

before i move onto the next section, here was the PBE setlist as well as my listed biography in the program:

Cheap Admiration (p. bailey)
Fearless Leader (p. bailey)
An Eye for Optical Theory (m. nyman)
Principle of Sufficient Irritation (p. bailey)
Sweater Song (weezer)

Ryan Nunes, Vibraphone. Ryan recently received his B.A. in philosophy from Cal State University, Fullerton. He has decided to start his existential crisis a little early.

An Epic Lunch

when the pbe was done at our show, we decided to go get some food. paul looked up places on his cell phone and found a zagat top 100 restaurant just around the corner called Marouch.

when we got there i wasn't initially impressed. though the decor is nice, the strip mall that it is located in is far from appealing. we began to look at our menus, and i was leaning towards the vegetarian plate (as i am trying to watch my figure). however, when the chef arrived he convinced us that we should eat family style. paul agrees, and the waiter advises us to order the number three (pictured below) and the number thirty six, which was just supposed to be kabobs but we convinced him to give us shawarma as well.

the number three was a 15 course appetizer! this included hommos, mtahal, tabbouleh, lebneh (homemade, and rivaled that which me and my sister had mentioned in the blog below!), falafel, grape leaves, spinach fatayer, cheese turnover, fatayer sambousek, fattouch, and some other stuff which i can't remember or read from the .pdf menu i am looking at. everything was absolutely brilliant. everytime they brought us a new plate with another delactable our mouths watered. by the time we were done eating the appetizers, which we didn't finish, i was absolutely stuffed. but once the main course came i just had to try a little bit of everything. this included lamb shawarma, and chicken/beef/lamb kabobs. all of which were amazing.

during the meal we talked a lot about the future of the ensemble. we finished the meal full and excited for what is to come. tuesday was definately an epic day.

pictured above: The PBE vs. Mourach! Scott (scooter), Matt, Paul, Bruce, Me, Eric (from left to right)...mourach definately won.

An Epic 48 Hours (thursday through friday)

my evening began at 6pm. some of you may already know, but i am the new pit instructor at torrence high school. three years ago i swore to myself i would never teach marching band again. now, in an act of monetary desperation, i find myself back at the job i was doing when i was 18 and for an abysmally low wage! on my commute to torrence i was convinced that i would hate every minute of it.

i was wrong.

i really enjoyed myself. i really enjoyed myself. i really enjoyed myself, etc. i think the difference between now and then is my maturity level. i have a lot more patience, and i simply do not get mad anymore. in addition the kids are really well behaved (though young). i actually look forward to seeing them grow, and excited for future rehearsals and shows. after rehearsal i booked it back to fullerton so niyaz and i could go to csof together.

we arrive at the bar at about 10:30 to a desperately small crowd. overall it was a weak night for call sick. they booked horrendous DJs and a very forgettable band, so i decided that gin would save the night for me. since there was no dancing i got a chance to talk to one of my new favorite friends, Jaclyn.
this is a pic of jaclyn and i. she made it specifically for this blog!

Jaclyn and i have very similar personalities. we are both enfps, and find that we relate to each other fairly easily. she is also roommates with one of my other new favorite friends, Wendy.

this is wendy and i. jaclyn made this picture too...we should all probably get real pictures taken together.

anyways, jaclyn and i easily talked for most of the night at the club. we talked about a lot of things, but the focus was on relationships...go figure. i really like listening to her because i learn a lot about myself. also, she doesn't let me get away with nonsense i usually pull with most people. toward the end of the night, when Jaclyn and i actually went inside the bar, we had come to find out that the girl working the door (who was riding with Wendy and Jaclyn) drank a bit too much and was not feeling very stellar. once we left, we stood outside taking care of her and i had a decision to make.

the details are blurry, remember the gin, but what i remember is i decided to go back to Jaclyn/Wendy's despite my car being in fullerton, my keys being in niyaz's car AND my cell phone being in Niyaz's car. brilliant, right? i thought so.

we get back to the apartment around 2:30am and put the poor door girl to sleep. wendy goes to bed, and jaclyn and i go outside to continue our conversation. it should be noted that it was easily 50 degrees or below, and we sat out there until roughly 6:30am. we went back inside and talked in the living room for about another hour until wendy woke up to go to school. when she came into the living room she was surprised (but probably not that surprised as jaclyn and i are pretty insane when it comes to sleep) to see jaclyn and i still talking. eventually jaclyn decided to go to sleep, however, i was too nervous to sleep in an apt. with 4 girls in it. so, i decided i would walk wendy to her 9am class (she goes to CSULB and their apartment is super close).

i walk with wendy and we have a nice conversation about things. it was actually the first time i have really seen the csulb campus and i was pretty jealous when comparing it to my school. wendy and i get some coffee bean and tea leaf and she tells me i should go back the apartment to sleep. i tell her i am too nervous to sleep in her apartment and that i have to stay up to figure out a way to get back to fullerton so i can get home. luckily, she offers to help me out after her class ends at 1145. cool. so now i am in long beach with no cell phone or car and i have about 3 hours to kill. no problem.

i walk to a nearby shopping center where i find a little bagel shop. i literally ate nothing the day before (as sometimes i simply forget) so a toasted bagel with cream cheese sounded exquisite. while eating my bagel i decided i should probably read something. i ask a passerby if there was a borders or barnes and nobles within walking distance of the shop. first he notices that i have obviously not slept and so i explain to him a very abridged version of my situation. then he tells me that there is a place about a mile away with a barnes and nobles. i get excited and start walking.

friday was an absolutely gorgeous day. the wind was blowing, and the sun was shining. the mile walk seemed liked nothing because i was truly enjoying just being outside in such wonderful weather. when i arrived at barnes and nobles i didn't know what i wanted to read and so i headed straight for the philosophy section. i looked for Richard Rorty's Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature, but they didn't have it. this is a good thing as i generally read too much non-fiction anyways. so i decide i will go buy High Fidelity. i also pick up a book for wendy to thank her for the impending ride home. in it i write "enjoy, ace. -Ryan Nunes 10/05/07"

next to the b&n there is a starbucks. i order myself an iced coffee (drink count: 1 coffee, 1 tea) and go outside to smoke, drink and read. normally i am a slow reader, but i kill off over a third of this book in about an hour and forty five minutes at which point it is time to start walking back to the apartment. the walk back was just as enjoyable as the walk before and somehow, despite being on zero hours of sleep, i am in a really great mood. when i get close to the apartment i notice that wendy and i are arriving at the same time. perfect! we drop off her stuff and take off to fullerton in her car.

the plan for the trip is to find niyaz so i can get my stuff, then eat some thai food and get some starbucks. in order to find niyaz we need to go to the CSUF library because i know for a fact he is at work. we arrive at the campus and i give wendy a breif tour (that's where i used to smoke cigarttes, this is the new music hall that sounds like shit, etc.). we go to the ILL office and see if niyaz is there. he isn't. but we do know that he is somewhere in the library. i ask wendy if she likes adventures. she says yes and so we venture to find niyaz. unfortunately, the first floor we go to he's there. not much of an adeventure. i tell him to find wendy and i at starbucks after work. he agrees and wendy and i head off to thai basil, one of my favorite thai restaurants.

we arrive and i immediately get self conscious that she won't like it. i know, stupid, but that's just how i am. we order beef pa-nang, chicken pad see ew and waters. it's really good, and she liked it. i end up accidently paying with my card. but wendy gives me cash. however, the bill was sixteen dollars and she only gives me six. i proclaim that it means 1/4th of the lunch was a date (the two dollars that i paid). we laugh. i'm happy. we then go to starbucks where i get another tea (drink count: 1 coffee, 2 teas, 3 glasses of water).

we talk until about 4:30 and realize that niyaz should have been here an hour ago. so we go and track him down at his apartment. he doesn't think he has done anything wrong by not showing up, and so i yell at him. we all laugh. at this point i need to go home and get some sleep, and wendy has to go to downey to see her brother's football game. we part ways.

i get home and sleep for about 2 hours. i wake up to about a half dozen text messages asking me if i am going out bar hopping. i sigh and agree that i will. i eat a really good dinner that my dad makes. around 10pm i am just too exhausted to do anything. i decide that i want watch high fidelity. jokingly i ask wendy if she wants to come watch it with me, and much to my surprise she agrees! i had figured she had gotten more than enough of me in the past 24 hours...but i suppose i was wrong. she comes over, we watch it, discuss it briefly and she leaves. finally at 3 am i go to sleep only to wake back up at 9am so i can go to a field show with Torrence High School.

alright, i don't have the energy to talk about Saturday and Sunday but here's a brief breakdown.

Saturday: field show (my kids took 2nd),. and an epic IM conversation that lasts until about 4:30 in the morning.

Sunday: up at 10am to go to beach with katie. important conversation. kick ass fish tacos. and late night smoke session (cigarettes).

so, that was my week. please make sure you comment so i can know that my efforts were not wasted.

So...

2007-10-01T13:12:00.001-07:00

i don't really do the whole "day recap" thing on my blog. but, my sister just wrote an awesome post where she described our evening together. so, i copied it. enjoy.

the hunt for an awesome dinner.

my dad was in tokyo last week, but this gave my brother and i some quality time together on sunday. word. i asked him if he had ever heard of pinkberry, which he of course had, since it's "all the rage." we decided we would find one and go; it's a fro yo joint. and we located one in the belmont shores area of long beach, on second street. (you know, i am still not sure why we (me, hol, lara, kat) didn't spend more time over there when we were so closeby living newport beach, it's kind of a cute area.) so what our evening plan was still lacking was a little more sustenance. we decide we should appropriately precede dessert with some dinner. and we both acknowledge we basically really wanted something awesome for dinner. and we found it!

ryan called a friend of his, whose voice i could hear across the room from the cell phone as she rattled off dining suggestions in that area without missing a beat (i aspire to be more like that instead of, 'well, what kind of food do you like?' and 'well, what kind of atmosphere are you looking for?' blah, blah...). we thought her lebanese mentions sounded like what we were looking for. of course what she had suggested was either of two lebanese restaurants right across the street from each other. when ryan and i got there, we figured we would decide which one completely based on exterior judgment. one was really cute and definitely trendy, with about a half hour wait. the other was more of a hole-in-the-wall, and our destination for the evening.

dinner at sunnin in long beach, with the bro.

we started with authentic lebanese brewskies and dug into some appetizers. we had the labneh, which was a soft, almost whipped, lebanese kefir cheese drizzled with olive oil and presented in a bowl; the rekakat, which was filo dough stuffed with feta, onions, parseley and zaatar; and my favorite, which was the moujadarah, pureed lentil cooked with rice, beans and onions topped with caramelized onions and served with pita. they were all amazing. we spent a long time eating them, and established that the cheese dish was really enough for about six people; we couldn't even finish half, and we were not being shy. the restaurant was small and narrow, with tables to accommodate either small or large parties. we weren't rushed in the slightest, and we know we picked the better restaurant of the two choices, and were quite satisfied with ourselves for seeing through the hype of the alternative. we then opted for sandwiches instead of full entrees; brother got the lamb kabob sandwich and i got the chicken kefta (my parents loved making kefta when we were growing up). we even smeared our labneh onto our sandwiches, and still barely made a dent into bowl o' cheese. our food was perfect.

lameberry.

i really don't get it. maybe it's because i wanted it to be really amazing, but pinkberry was just ok. i liked the frozen yogurt (there are two choices, regular or green tea) and what is nice is that they're not sweet. i got the regular, and my kiwi and blackberries on top were good. but it seemed kind of, well, normal, so i am confused why people wait in line around the block for this stuff. i guess the nutritional information is supposedley attractive, but c'mon it's not like it instantly makes the patrons themselves any more attractive, so i'm really confused on what is so great about this stuff. i went to take a picture and an employee lady ran over to tell me that there are no photographs allowed at pinkberry (might have to do with the fact that other fro yo shops are popping up conveniently EXACTLY like pinkberry, with names like kiwiberry). whatever. see photo below.

fto

2007-09-28T03:17:00.001-07:00

paul bailey ensemble got a full page review in the OC register yesterday. check it.

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/music-bailey-composer-1852433-three-one

...and we do need a druid

2007-09-25T00:40:00.001-07:00

at what point do you tell a girl, "yeah, i've been known to play a little D&D"?

new music

2007-09-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

a lot of you know that i am involved in the new-music scene. this is one of my favorite pieces composed by Lloyd Rodgers. the group i play in, the paul bailey ensemble, also does a version of it.

enjoy.

Rory and Logan

2007-09-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

i wrote a paper when I was a junior in college called "Eros and Violence." it won an award and also sent me to a graduate conference. i just revisited it and, quite frankly, i was wrong. love isn't violent. love is banal.

i think this is why i like Rory and Logan on the gilmore girls. i know that most of you are probably Rory-Jess fanatics (and really, who wouldn't be? jess can steal powers! and he's a dreamboat captain). however, at least Rory and Logan weren't just a cheap rip off of every westernized idealization of romantic love since the beginning of time.

bring it nerds! new poll -------------->

zero tolerance

2007-09-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

i fancy myself a tolerant individual. however, there are particular world views that are simply deal breakers for me. at the forefront of this brief (but distinguished) list is the belief that everything happens for a reason. now, i could accept this claim if it were to be backed by some sort of physicalist mentality like, for example, that of hard determinism. however, dear reader, i believe we both know the majority of the people who utter this statement are coming from a different background. for brevity's sake i am going to focus on two different people who may make this claim...

but first, a disclaimer: i have this blog to have fun. believe it or not, writing this is fun for me. please do not take any of the following too personally. while we may disagree on certain points it does not mean i think you are stupid, or a lesser person than me. in fact, i would love to talk about it with you sometime. however, it does mean i probably won't marry you.

person #1: the christian.

christians get a lot of shit. furthermore, they get a lot of shit they do not deserve. however, christians who believe that everything happens for a reason are simply digging their own grave. i would like to outline a few essential problems this sort of world view creates for the christian. (footnote: there are many different types of christianity. some of which the following problems i am about to go over would not have a problem with at all. i think, for our purposes, we should imagine that christian who is non-denominational and overly conservative. we will call this christian the nu-christian).

the nu-christian holds that everything that happens is a part of God's larger plan. this larger plan, of course, excludes homosexuality, rap music, women's studies and communism (these phenomena are, naturally, arosed by the devil). what this christian has failed to realize is exactly what is at stake if he/she actually holds this doctrine. the problem is that for one to accept this belief he/she ought to admit that we do not have free will. this is because if everything happens for a reason, and this reason is a part of God's predetermined plan then it is going to follow that we ourselves are determined!

quite frankly, i'm some sort of a determinist (but not the christian kind). so, this conclusion doesn't completely bother me. however, the nu-chrstian certainly does not hold himself to the rigorous problems that his own beliefs have created for himself. certainly, we cannot punish the murderer-rapist-fag-commie if he was simply acting out God's will. so, the natural move for the nu-christian is to say that the murderer-rapist-fag-commie (we will call him Scott from now on)was acting on his own accord. but what room is there in a world where everything happens for a reason for Scott's own accord? well, there isn't any room but the nu-christian has tried to respond to this apparent inconsistency.

the next move we will often hear is that there is no way for us to know what God's plan is. this, i think, is actually a clever move. this sort of attitude is also being taken up by contemporary philosophers of religion who just claim that we do not have the cognitive capacity to understand God. again, this doesn't bother me. however, there is a conflict of interest between claiming both that we do not know God's plan, and such and such is a sin. it seems to me that if we do not know God's plan than we probably know nothing of God, including what he considers a sin. finally, if we do not know anything of God then we certainly do not know whether he has a plan for us or not.

i could go on, but i am feeling a bit pretentious right now. so i am going to ask you guys how you feel about this post. please be honest as this is a deviation from my standard 2-4 sentence punch line i usually throw up on here. also, I’m not really sure who reads this or even cares. The poll to the right should help me figure out if I am just wasting time or not.

3:30 AM

2007-09-10T03:33:00.000-07:00

i am still up. it's either anxiety, or the al pastor tacos.

six theses

2007-09-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

1. nothing makes indie kids stop dancing faster than a live band.
2. nothing makes indie kids dance harder than michael jackson (80's).
Sub-Thesis 2a. it is better to burnout than to fade away.
3. the new britney spears single is disapointing.
4. the new kanye is good.
5. some rage against the machine songs make for not-so-good dancing.
6. despite mixed reviews, my new leisure suit jacket fucking rules. (pics to come?)

Man Crush

2007-07-31T21:01:00.001-07:00

How much do you want to make a bet that the new Davey Havoc (second from the left) side project, Blaqk Audio, is all the rage in the gay clubs? Hearing Blaqk Audio back to back with Hilary Duff is my new dream.

ethics

2007-07-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

on my commute to work this morning i heard a lively debate on the ethics of romantic love. namely, a question arose as to whether or not it was okay to send your ex-girlfriend flowers. now, before you make a hasty decision you should know that the man in question was in a relationship with another woman!

needless to say- seacrest is now my moral compass.

Tie

2007-07-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

the greatest fool

2007-07-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

when thinking about philosophers i like to think a lot about how their philosophy would change if they were alive during a different time period. for example, socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living."

boring. no wonder why people hate philosophy. we need to upgrade. socrates 3.1 style...

"the life without degrassi: next generation is not worth living."

fixed.

palindrome

2007-07-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

I MADE GOD
(a poem to be read both ways)

i made god.
he lives (i.e. filled)
if nicotine killed omni-agnostic at noon
i made banana-
not as evil, tis.
emit, evolve, redo.
naked... albeit ugly, die.
rabies i ran...
deified.
n' arise i bare idyl gut.
(i.e. blade), k? -
an ode: rev. "love time"
sit. live.
sat on an...an?...a! bed.
am i noon?
tacit: song A.
"in" model.
liken it- "O.C. infidel."
life is evil, eh.
do G.E.D.? am i?

better than macgyver

2007-07-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

whenever i walk through an automatic door i always feel like a superhero. however, i can never decide whether or not i am simply walking through a solid door, or, if i am opening it up with my mind (that's telekinesis...).

philosopher

2007-07-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

i just got a B.A. in philosophy. people say "i look the part"...i'm pretty sure that means i look like an asshole nobody wants to talk to.