Mississippi Picnic LA
For the past few months I have been making a concerted effort to get out, and take advantage of the fact that I live 15 minutes from DTLA. Shit goes on here all the time that people from backwards towns, like Omaha, wish they could partake in. Anyhow, not too long ago, some friends and I decided to venture out to the Mississippi Picnic LA in Elysian Park(to be more specific, it was at a park on the backside of Dodger stadium). A little background on the event, the Mississippi Picnic LA is a fundraiser that was apparently started by some southerners, who relocated to Los Angeles. The event consists of live bands, southern food, sweet tea, and BEER. The advertisements for this event actually made it out to be a bit bigger than it actually was. The event’s website advised taking public transportation, because parking would be impossible. Also, it said that they expected a turnout of up to 500. Both false, but lets start at the beginning.
Because of the warning we received before hand, my friends and I decided to take the Gold Line out of Pasadena to reach the event. Don’t get me wrong, the Gold Line is a great method of transportation. In fact it is my preferred method for getting to Dodger games. The difference is that on game days there are shuttles to take you directly from Union Station to the Stadium. On this particular day, such was not the case. We exited at the China Town Station because google maps told me it was the closest exit. We then proceeded on a 45 minute march to Elysian Park. This was totally unexpected. It was hot and mostly uphill, but we made do. The real slap in the face was that once we got to the stadium, there was parking everywhere. In fact, I would say there were AT MOST 200 people at the event. Other than our transportation situation, the event was a blast. $25 included a giant plate of food, all you can drink southern style tea, live bands, and an overall cool environment. The food was definitely on point. The plate included ribs, fried catfish, fries, coleslaw, and some fried other fried veggies. If you’re trying to lose some weight, this is not the place to be.
As I said before, the atmosphere was pretty chill. We set up a picnic blanket and laid out to watch the various bands perform. The gem of the day of they was this 85 year old blues man, who absolutely tore it up. I think what truly made this event worthwhile, however, was the beer. Technically the price of admission provided you with all you can drink beer. They simply asked for a small donation with each beer. The beers provided were from small micro brews in Mississippi. The beers were actually quite exquisite. I ended up spending $5 for about 7 beers. Needless to say, I had a blast. We soon found ourselves singing along to songs we did not know, by bands we’d never heard of. Many of the people at the event were actually from Mississippi, so it was also a great opportunity to meet new people from a different lifestyle. This is definitely an event I could see myself visiting again next year. Check out the details at www.missippippicnicla.com.
Filed under: Cool, Drinking, Things to do in LA | Leave a Comment
Tags: Beer, Dodger Stadium, Elysian Park, Fried Catfish, Gold Line, I'm fucking cool, LA, Live Bands, Mississippi, Mississippi Picnic LA, Things to do in Los Angeles
Manny! Manny! Manny!
Okay, so I haven’t written in a while, but nothing that exciting has happened to me as of late. I found a really cool blog that I enjoy http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/rachael/. Its basically this guy writing about how stupid this girl is that lives with him. I feel as though I can entirely and thoroughly relate to his situation. Not that I’ve ever lived with a girl…but I’ve met a many who drive me insane. My life is actually pretty boring lately. I go to work, I go to school, I’m too tired to do much else. Enough about me though, I’ve decided today to rant about one of my favorite athletic teams in all of professional sports: THE DOYERS (Dodgers to the whites).
Typically, being a Dodger fan is a stressful situation. The last 2x we’ve seen the playoffs, out in the first round! The last big name we signed was a man by the name of Nomar Garciaparra(Torre doesn’t count, seeing as he doesn’t play), who has played fragments of the season because his now “steroidless” body can’t put up with the stress of playing baseball…such an active sport. Management for the past 5 years has basically been a joke. Not willing to spend the money for a big bat, making the worse free agent signings in the entire universe(see: Andruw Jones, Jason Schmidt). I long for the days of Piazza, Mondesi, and Karros. But for all the misery we’ve been through, the baseball Gods finally decided to smile upon us. They must have thought to themselves, “hey these guys actually watched this piece of shit team for the past 6 seasons, lets cut them a little slack.” They did so in the form of Manny.
Personally, I love the guy. Even if he weren’t hitting 20 HRs a season for the past 14 years, I would still think he’s just a bad motherfucker in general. For those of you who aren’t familiar with baseball, there’s a saying…”that’s just Manny being Manny.” Basically its a euphemism for that guys a cocky asshole who does what he wants. THAT..is exactly the type of person I would be if I were him too. Let me give you all my favorite example of Manny being Manny. Situation: ALCS, Red Sox down 8 or so runs, last inning. Manny smacks a solo home run, bringing his team within 7 runs. He then proceeds to stare at the ball, admire his work, raise his arms as though he’d just won the world series(see image above), and slowly jog the bases. Any other player would have put his head down and quickly got off the diamond. I love Manny.
Now putting my personal love for the guy aside, there are both pros and cons to the trade for Manny. Because I like to be positive, I’ll start with pros finish with the cons, and decide which side wins.
PROS:
- We finally get the big bat we needed, perhaps helping our abysmal offense and allowing pitchers with 3.5 ERA’s to get some wins.
- Jeff Kent doesn’t have to hit cleanup.
- I get to see Manny being Manny on KCAL 9.
- Andruw Jones can take his ass to the bench finally….hitting under 200.
- There’s finally someone pitchers fear in the lineup.
- We didn’t have to give up any starters for him.
- Someone who can hit home runs!
CONS:
- Manny’s 36.
- Andre Either is wasting away on the bench.
- We have way too many outfielders…30 million dollar man sitting on the bench….(see Andruw Jones)
- We still don’t have a shortstop.
- Juan Pierre is in center.
- Band-wagoners = harder for me to get tickets.
DECISION:
MANNY FOR THE WIN. Deciding factor: I get to see Manny being Manny on KCAL 9.
We might make the playoffs this season. Next season, If everyone gets healthy, and Manny gets resigned…We could potentially see an outfield of Kemp, Either, Manny, an an infield of Nomar, Furcal, Blake, Loney, Martin. Holy shit. That would be amazing. I Love LA.
Filed under: Dodgers, Random, Sports | 1 Comment
Tags: Blogs, Dodgers, Fuck My Life, I'm Cool, LA, Los Angeles, Manny Ramirez
I should have been an art major.
For some reason everyone that I hang out with(minus a certain Bostonian) is really artistic. I mean I guess I have my music thing, but these guys are ACTUALLY good at doodles, and drawing, and creating. Look at their blogs and you’ll see what I mean:(I’ll link you at the end of mine, so you read mine first!). Anyhow, I’ve decided that I too can be artistic. Let the drawing commence! I figure if I draw enough things, I eventually have to be good at something….right? So I started with some animals. I shall now introduce the world to Ricky the Rat, Turd the Turtle, and the Bird. Say hello world, and say hello to the the downfall of a certain friendly mouse.
Ricky the Rat
Turd the Turtle
The Bird
Feel free to compliment me on my amazing art.
**Disclaimer: For real art visit : www.ohmysaab.com, www.therulebookoflife.com, or www.choupy.com
After visiting these websites, you will see why I feel so terrible about myself. HAH.
Filed under: Art, Random | 4 Comments
Tags: Art, Bird, Fuck My Life, I'm Awesome, Rat, Turtle
Take Kids Down
A weekend ago, my good friend Leo and I, set out on an adventure. We went to go see our hero, Evan Chen, compete in his first Tae Kwon Do tournament in years. The tournament was in Ocean Side. It was very hot, very sunny, and the competition outdoors. Fun. Anyhow. Before we even arrived at the tournament, the brain child himself (Evan Chen) decided to by pass a couple of these: 
in hopes of getting better parking. Well of course the next thing we encountered was one of these:
So basicaly, this cool guy took both of our licenses and threatened us with $800 fines. Yay. Oh and by the way it turns out my license had been surrendered so he came back with my license and was by all means THRILLED about that piece of news. The conversation went something like this:
Daniel: I’m sorry I was lost I’ve never been here before officer, please be lenient! I was just following my friend!
Cop: RAWR! I hate you! I hope your stupid friend is gonna pay your ticket! Also your license is surrendered! WHY!?
Daniel: Oh dear officer! I don’t even know what that means! Why would my license be surrendered?
Cop: I ASKED YOU! WHY DON’T YOU TELL ME WHY IT WOULD BE SURRENDERED!
… Great start to the day. Anyhow, he sent us on our way and told us never be stupid again. No fines. Thank God.
So the day went well. We spent it here:
At the Lite Tae Kwon Do Championship! Because Evan is a lite fighter. HAH! you see what I did there? Really though, we spent it here: 
The Elite Tae Kwon Do Championship! Aren’t those kicking Asian guys so cool? Anyhow. Evan took first place in his forms! And as for sparring… well lets just say he was stone cold out there. This what he looked like right before he saw his opponent:
Look at that face. It has “grr I’m a killer and I’m gonna dominate anything that steps in my way” written all over it. But then he saw his nemesis! 
and his face now says..”oh…crap” ? Or something along those lines. No but seriously. He did well. I have video proof. After I am done editing it into an amazing movie. I will post the video of our day in Ocean Side. Until then. Kudos Mr. Evan Chen. Kudos.
Filed under: Random, Travels | 2 Comments
Tags: Amazing., Beach, Fighting, Forms, Ocean Side, Sparring, Tae Kwon Do
School is what I do. I study business at California State Polytechnic University of Pomona. Its boring. I go for the future… and all that jazz. What I’m passionate about, however, is making music. I love music. I love listening to music, I love performing music, I love listening to music performed! My field of study is completely unrelated to my passion. I envy those people that are passionate about what they’re studying. Somtimes I think that school is not for me. Anyhow, one of my goals this summer is to finish at least 4 songs to put on an EP. I have many songs written. Its hard for me to convert thoughts in my head, into something other people can listen to. Once I get it out of my head and onto a song, it totally doesn’t convey what I had in my head. Does that even make sense? Basically, I can’t get my music to sound like what I want it to sound like. Maybe its because my equipment sucks? Alas, its the terrible carpenter who blames his shoddy tools. So I’ll just say i’m terrible. Anyways, here’s a sample of what I’ve been working on with my good friend DJ Ali Haeri. Its still rough. And raw. And its me. : AHDM – Emergency Lights
Filed under: Music | 2 Comments
Tags: Cal Poly, Fuck My Life, Music, School
Saturday Mornings.
When I was a kid, “Saturday Morning” was synonymous with cartoons. I can even remember setting my alarm clock so I wouldn’t miss the 8 o’clock shows, I didn’t even set my alarm clock for school back then. Ahhhh the memories…sitting in my Pj’s, chilling on the couch…eating some Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I wonder if everyone’s Saturday morning memories are the same as mine though? So, I thought I’d run through some of the big hits that stick out in my mind, from my childhood Saturday mornings.
Show #1: X-Men
I’m pretty sure that if you were a kid in the 90′s, and a male, you were addicted to X-Men. This was one cartoon that was incredible, because unlike many shows of the day, the plot line continued with each episode. It wasn’t something where it wrapped up neatly after thirty minutes and a completely new storyline would be brought in next week. Anyways, I’m pretty sure that many of you spent countless hours throwing playing cards around the house wishing you could make them explode, only to have your mother later yell at you for being an idiot. Not, that I have an experience with such a thing. X-Men was amazing.
Show #2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Classic, is the only way to describe the original TMNT. Who could forget the “cowabungas,” the anchovies, and the “Heroes in a half shell, TURTLE POWER!” As far as being a young male in the 90′s, this one is pretty much the same as X-Men, how could you not watch? The main difference was that these guys were a little more humorous in the destruction of bad guys(see footclan). I remember having all the toys to go along with this gem of a show. The Turtles were so incredible, that they even made two really great live action movies, and one horrible one(see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III). TURTLE POWER!
Show #3: Pirates of the Dark Water
Does anyone even remember this show? I’m pretty sure that every time I even mention this show, I get looked at like I just made some inappropriate black joke while eating at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles(see Masonchang.com) Anyways, I now how proof that this show really did exist! Just like X-Men this show had a plot that left you hanging every week, only to continue the amazing the week after. Pirates of the Dark Water, was about this world where all the water had turned dark and evil, and in order to fix that, The blonde guy and company needed to find 13 treasures with the power to stop the dark water. Sounds stimulating, no?
Show #4: Widget the World Watcher
This is another show that I’m pretty sure nobody has ever seen. Also, either Widget ripped off Captain Planet, or Captain Planet ripped of Widget, but somebody got ripped off. Widget the World Watcher was about this shape shifting alien who helped these kids stop some evil polluting genius. Sound familiar? Anyways, I’m really not too sure why I even watched this show. I guess its because I always wanted to be a shape shifter. Widget was purple.
Show #5: Reboot!
Reboot was incredible, because it used computer animation before they were able to make it look enjoyable. Basic story line was about this guy Bob, who would fight off evil to protect his beloved Mainframe, Mainframe is where these guys lived, inside of a computer. The evils included the User, who would load games and try to take over the mainframe, and the Web, who send in evil doers to also try and destroy mainframe. Man, what a concept. Anyhow, apparently this show ran all the way until 2001, so good for them.
Show #6: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
I couldn’t even find a picture for this show, so it’s still possible that I just imagined I watched it. This show was about this girl whose uncle accidentally created a mutant strain of murdering tomatoes. Riveting. The girl and her buddy would basically fight off these tomatoes and attempt to save the world, along with the help of the one friendly mutant tomato in the whole world. I liked this show. I don’t know why. If you have ever seen it, please confirm that I am not crazy.
Filed under: Random | 18 Comments
Tags: Cartoons, Killer Tomatoes, Ninja Turtles, Pirates of the Dark Water, ReBoot!, Saturdays, Widget, X-Men
As a Los Angelino should, I love the Dodgers, I love smog, and I eat In out Out regularly. I feel inclined to set one thing straight, however. I am a certified Laker hater. I hate the team, despise their players, can’t tolerate their fans, and I know they will lose the NBA Finals. The Lakers are terrible. And to prove that the Lakers are in fact terrible, and that I am not speaking out of my ass, I would like to break down this assessment for you(just like Paul Pierce is breaking down the Lakers’ defense hoho!).
Reason #1: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is poison. He has shown time and time again that he can’t win when it counts. I am not counting the times when Shaq was there to bail him out. Sure, he’s a great individual player, but when it really comes down to the wire thats all he is. This has become more than obvious in the finals. When the going gets tough, Kobe Bryant gives up on his teammates and disaster results. Anyone recall that disastrous 9-26 performance he put up in game 1 of the finals? Even beyond his obvious lack of leadership, how about the off court issues he brings to the team. Before this season he was trashing his own teammates and asking to be traded. Now he’s buying them $10,000 watches to thank them. What a two face. Kobe Bryant is a competitor, but a winner? I think not(once again, exclude the Shaq championships).
!! Bonus Suck !! : Kobe Bryant sucks because the only teammate he could get to be in his commercial was Ronnie Turiaf.
Reason #2: The Fans
Laker fans comprise the biggest group of bandwagoners in the world. How can you love a guy that wanted to leave your team no more than a year ago?(see reason #1) Laker fans, in my experience, also tend to be completely incompetent about the sport of basketball. All that they know is they live in Los Angeles, and these guys are doing well. Other than that the most insightful thing I’ve ever heard from a Laker fan is, “damn..Kobe’s the fucking man holmes”. Most Laker fans are only fans when the going is good. If you live in LA, you know that you inevitably will see one of these come playoffs:
Oh the dreaded Laker car flag. You will only see these up during the playoffs. Suddenly everyone loves the Lakers. I honestly, have never seen a car drive around with one of these in their windows before the Shaq Dynasty in LA. Laker fans are fakers.
Reason #3
Not even the Clippers wanted him.
P.S. I love LA( SEE “I make kids cry” post)
Filed under: Sports | 6 Comments
Tags: Ali Haeri, Kobe Bryant, LA, Lakers, Terrible
I make kids cry.
I love the Los Angeles Dodgers. So much that I make kids cry. I went to the Dodgers vs. Cubs today. I sat in the all you can eat section(unfortunately I recently made a decision to go vegetarian for month…sooooo all I could eat was nachos). I grew tired of them after about 13 chips. Anyhow, the Dodgers were getting murdered so I decided to leave early. As I was leaving a kid, shall we say 7 years of age, was walking back to his seat in a Cubs jersey. He looked at me as I walked by him. I stared straight into his eyes and said “the Cubs suck.” What a jerk.
Anyhow, I also decided to clean up my room and put some before and after pictures up. Check it out.
Before:
After:
I need a new computer desk. Also, I suck at taking pictures. Someone teach me how to take better ones.
Filed under: Dodgers, Random | 2 Comments
Tags: Cry Baby, Dodgers, New Chair
what the….
So I just saw this brilliant new piece of advertisement from my favorite burger stand. All I could think was…wouldn’t an egg rather become a chicken?
PS. That’s not the actual advertisement.
P.PS. I’m an amazing artist.
Filed under: Insight | 2 Comments
Tags: McDonald's, Stupid, WTF
Fuck a Stingray.
So I think I’m dying. I got stung by a stingray last weekend while camping at San Onofre State Beach. That thing bled like no other and was pretty sore for about a a day or two. The wound isn’t very impressive, but I think the venom’s killing me.
So I was told by the lifeguards that the venom can’t survive in temperatures above 115 degrees…so naturally we boiled my foot for about an hour. I thought all was well, but the past few days I’ve been feeling dizzy and having headaches. It might just be my imagination but I feel like my entire left side of my body is going limp. HMMM. The venom is still alive! I could probably just go to the hospital but that seems like a lot of work.
Anyways, I’m pretty sure this is what that fucker looked like. Devious little devil. Fuck a stingray.
Filed under: Sting Rays | 4 Comments
Tags: Beach, Fuck My Life, Ouch, Stingray
