New York, New York

I'm leaving for New York in a few hours and I'm so excited! I've never been there and I can't wait to go...shopping! I think of New York as one big mall. I hope I won't get disappointed. I hope I don't forget anything as I packed really late last night. I'll only be there for a few days for my mom's reunion and birthday but I hope I enjoy it anyway. The weather is not the best, 90 degrees with 60% chance of rain and 80% humidity, but I hope I'll survive. I'm sure anything is better than the heatwave we're currently experiencing here in CA. Well, before I start blabbing away I'll cut myself short. I'm praying for a safe and fun trip. I'll post pictures as soon as I get back. ciao for now!

Me, a Joke Writer? No...

Let me start this post with a disclaimer: this is something I got from my cousin Inez's blog and I want her (and everone else to know) that this and the previous blog was "inspired" by the same post on her site. The "Get To Know Me" post is very similar to one of her posts which is very weird because I posted it probably a few hours after she posted hers. Very weird, I guess we're on the same wavelength. Cousins indeed. Anyhow, for the post.

You Should Be a Joke Writer

You're totally hilarious, and you can find the humor in any situation. Whether you're spouting off zingers, comebacks, or jokes about life... You usually can keep a crowd laughing, and you have plenty of material. You have the makings of a great comedian - or comedic writer.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Get to know me more

Another random get-to-know-me survey I found on the web. Enjoy.

(Click here to post your own answers for this meme.)


✓ I miss somebody right now.
× I don't watch much TV these days.
✓ I own lots of books.


× I wear glasses or contact lenses.
× I love to play video games.
× I've tried marijuana.


✓ I've watched porn movies.
× I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
✓ I believe honesty is usually the best policy.


✓ I curse sometimes.
✓ I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
× I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.


× I have broken someone's bones.
× I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
✓ I hate the rain.


✓ I'm paranoid at times.
✓ I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.
✓ I need/want money right now. (ALWAYS!)


✓ I love sushi.
✓ I talk really, really fast.
× I have fresh breath in the morning.


✓ I have long hair.
× I have lost money in Las Vegas.
✓ I have at least one sibling.


✓ I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
✓ I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
✓ I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.


× I like the way that I look.
✓ I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months.
✓ I am usually pessimistic.


✓ I have a lot of mood swings.
× I think prostitution should be legalized.
✓ I slept with a roommate. (slept in the same bed but did not have sex kind of sleep...that would be weird since she's a girl & i'm not a lesbian or bisexual)


✓ I have a hidden talent.
× I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
× I have a lot of friends.


✓ I have pecked someone of the same sex.
× I enjoy talking on the phone.
× I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.


✓ I love to shop and/or window shop.
× I'm obsessed with my Xanga or Livejournal.
× I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.


✓ I have a mobile phone.
× I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
✓ I've rejected someone before.


✓ I currently like/love someone.
× I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
✓ I want to have children in the future.


× I have changed a diaper before.
× I've called the cops on a friend before.
× I'm not allergic to anything.


✓ I have a lot to learn.
× I am shy around the opposite sex.
× I'm online 24/7, even as an away message.


× I have at least 5 away messages saved.
✓ I have tried alcohol or drugs before. (alcohol, yes. drugs, never.)
× I have made a move on a friend's significant other or crush in the past.


× I own the "South Park" movie.
× I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Xanga or Livejournal.
× I enjoy some country music.


✓ I would die for my best friends.
✓ I'm obsessive, and often a perfectionist.
× I have used my sexuality to advance my career.


× I think Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
× I have dated a close friend's ex.
× I am happy at this moment.


× I'm obsessed with guys.
✓ Democrat.
× Republican.


× I don't even know what I am.
✓ I am punk rockish.
✓ I go for older guys/girls, not younger.


× I study for tests most of the time.
× I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I've ever met.
× I can work on a car.


× I love my job(s).
× I am comfortable with who I am right now.
× I have more than just my ears pierced.


× I walk barefoot wherever I can.
× I have jumped off a bridge.
× I love sea turtles.


× I spend ridiculous amounts of money on makeup.
✓ I plan on achieving a major goal/dream.
× I am proficient on a musical instrument.


× I hate office jobs.
× I went to college out of state.
× I am adopted.


× I am a pyro.
× I have thrown up from crying too much.
× I have been intentionally hurt by people that I loved.


× I fall for the worst people.
× I adore bright colours.
× I usually like covers better than originals.


× I hate chain theme restaurants like Applebees and TGIFridays.
✓ I can pick up things with my toes.
✓ I can't whistle.


✓ I have ridden/owned a horse.
✓ I still have every journal I've ever written in.
✓ I talk in my sleep. (so i've been told)


× I've often thought that I was born in the wrong century.
× I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distractions.
× I wear a toe ring.


× I have a tattoo.
✓ I can't stand at LEAST one person that I work with.
✓ I am a caffeine junkie.


× I am completely tree-huggy spiritual, and I'm not ashamed at all.
× If I knew I would get away with it, I would commit at least one murder.
× I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical, the better.


× I enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner.
× I'm an artist.
× I am ambidextrous.


× I sleep with so many stuffed animals, I can hardly fit on my bed.
× If it weren't for having to see other people naked, I'd live in a nudist colony.
✓ I have terrible teeth.


× I hate my toes.
✓ I did this meme even though I wasn't tagged by the person who took it before me.
× I have more friends on the internet than in real life.


× I have lived in either three different states or countries.
× I am extremely flexible.
× I love hugs more than kisses.


✓ I want to own my own business.
× I smoke.
× I spend way too much time on the computer than on anything else.


× Nobody has ever said I'm normal.
✓ Sad movies, games, and the like can cause a trickle of tears every now and then.
× I am proficient in the use of many types of firearms and combat weapons.


× I like the way women look in stylized men's suits.
✓ I don't like it when people are unpleased or seem unpleased with me.
✓ I have been described as a dreamer or likely to have my head up in the clouds.


× I have played strip poker with someone else before.
× I have had emotional problems for which I have sought professional help.
✓ I believe in ghosts and the paranormal.


× I can't stand being alone.
× I have at least one obsession at any given time.
× I weigh myself, pee/poo, and then weigh myself again.


× I consistently spend way too much money on obsessions-of-the-moment.
× I'm a judgmental asshole.
× I'm a HUGE drama-queen.


✓ I have travelled on more than one continent.
× I sometimes wish my father would just disappear.
× I need people to tell me I'm good at something in order to feel that I am.


× I am a Libertarian. (not me, but my boyfriend is!)
✓ I can speak more than one language.
× I can fall asleep even if the whole room is as noisy as it can be.


× I would rather read than watch TV.
× I like reading fact more than fiction.
✓ I have pulled an all-nighter on an assignment I was given a month to do.


× I have no piercings.
× I have spent the night in a train station or other public place.
× I have been so upset over my physical gender that I cried.


× I once spent Christmas completely alone because there was a miscommunication on which parent was supposed to have me that night.
✓ There have been times when I have wondered "Why was I born?" and may/may not have cried over it.
× I like most animals better than most people.


× I own a collection of retro games consoles.
× The thought of physical exercise makes me shiver.
× I have hit someone with a dead fish.


✓ I am compulsively honest.
× I was born with a congenital birth defect that has never been repaired.
× I have danced topless in front of dozens of complete strangers.


× I have gone from wishing I was a girl to revelling in being a boy to feeling like a girl again in the span of five minutes, and not cared a whit for my actual sex.
× I am unashamedly bisexual, and have different motivations for my desires for different genders.
× I sometimes won't sleep a whole night or eat a whole day because I forget to.


× I find it impossible to get to sleep without some kind of music on.
× I dislike milk.
× I obsessively wash my hands.


× I always carry something significant around with me.
× Sometimes I'd rather wear a wig in day-to-day life than use my own hair.
× I've pushed myself to become more self-aware and thereby more aware of others.


× Even though I live on my own I still cry sometimes because I miss my mother.
× I hand wrote all the HTML tags in this document.
✓ I've liked something which a majority of people claimed was either bad or weird.


× I have been clinically dead for a brief period of time.
× Instead of feeling sympathy/empathy with people and their problems, I simply become annoyed.
× I participate/have participated in auto drag races and won.


✓ I do not 'get' most comedy acts. (coz sometimes they're just not funny!)
✓ I don't think strippers are money-greedy or slutty for dancing.
× I don't like to chew gum.


× I am obsessed with history/historical things and can't wait for someone to build a time machine so I can be the first to use it.
× I can never remember for the life of me where I parked the car.
× I had the TEEN ANGST thing going for at least 2-3 years.


× I wish people would be more empathic and honest with each other.
× I play Dungeons and Dragons weekly.
✓ I love to sing. (but unfortunately, i'm not that good)


× I want to live in my mother's basement when I grow up.
✓ I have a custom-built computer.
× I want to create a certain someone's babies, even though there's a 0% possiblity of ever achieving it.


× I would be in a relationship with one of my pets if they were human.
× I've gone skinny-dipping.
× I've performed in three plays.


× I enjoy burritos.
× I'm Irish and loving it.
× I have a thing for redheads.


× I am a twin!
× Most of the times, I'd rather do something intellectual instead of doing something generically 'fun'.
× Once I set out to finish something, I always stay at it until it is completed before I move on to something else.


× I wish there were a way to erase past mistakes.
× I sleep more than 12 hours a day.
✓ I wish I could be prouder of what I've accomplished, but it's never enough.


× I need more time to myself.
× I wish I was more open-minded.
× I hope that I go really prematurely grey.


✓ I download songs from the internet.
× I've just reenacted chapter 58 of Death Note with my best friend.
✓ I say random things to freak people out.


× I'm still a little mad about the ending of Death Note.
× I love playing Truth or Dare.
× I love listening to slow music, but I hate singing to it.


× Music helps me remember that I am not alone.
✓ Playing my favorite sport makes me temporarily forget my problems.
× I think this survey is particularly long.


× I prefer my LJ friends to my real-life ones.
× I can only hate someone that I love.
× I've ordered an extra two shots of espresso to an Americano at Starbucks.

Getting to Know Me

I found this silly questionnaire online during one of my lazy days at work. This will be my tribute to one of my favorite movies of all time…The King and I. You know, the part where they sang ‘Getting to Know You’. Anyway, here goes…

1. LIVING ARRANGEMENT?
One bedroom second-floor apartment

2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Visitor’s Guide to New York City

3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
My mouse. =)

4. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
Monopoly, introduces kids to the basics of capitalism. I’m not sure if that’s necessarily a good thing.

5. FAVORITE MAGAZINE?In Style and Lucky

6a. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Smells in general – coffee & food cooking on the stove or oven or grill. Perfrumes – Marc Jacobs & Issey Miyake

6b. LEAST FAVORITE SMELLS?
Rotten eggs, garbage, anything rotten

7. FAVORITE SOUND?
laughter

8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?Being cheated (in more than one context) -> makes me feel stupid

9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
“what time is it?”

10. FAVORITE COLOR?
Lilac or lavender

11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
Depends who is calling. Sometimes I don't answer it at all. Caller id rocks.

12. FUTURE Child's NAME?
Girl: Cassidy Nicole or Lorelai Cassidy
Boy: Alexander Nicolo or Marcus Alexander

13. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE?
Family & friends

14. FAVORITE FOODS?
Japanese Food (not just sushi) and Spanish Tapas and good, bloody steak

15. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?If these were the only two choices, then chocolate, I guess.

16. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?
Yes, but ever since my accident (that broke, nay shattered both bones in my left forearm) I’ve been driving really carefully (which means slower than I used to).

17. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
No, they make me sneeze.

18. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY?
Scary

19. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
1997 Toyota Corolla

20. MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE?
Angelina Jolie – she’s hot.

21. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?
Mango margarita and mango mojito

22. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?
Scorpio baby, yeah.

23. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Yes.

24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Buyer for a cool boutique that I also own.

25. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR WHAT WOULD IT BE?
same color I always dye it…mahogany

26. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Yes, unfortunately.

27. IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL?
depends on the situation

28. FAVORITE MOVIES: The King and I, Braveheart, Dumb & Dumber, My Cousin Vinny

29. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? Nope

30. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?
Stor-it-all with a bunch of papers

31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 12

32. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Trojan football. Go Trojans!

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. student
2. retail
3. financial analyst
4. real estate office manager

Four movies you could watch over and over:
1. The King and I
2. My Cousin Vinny
3. Love Actually
4. Jerry Maguire

Four places you have lived: (most recent)
1. palms/cheviot hills area
2. west hollywood
3. silverlake
4. malibu

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. amazing race
2 top model
3. project runway
4. grey’s anatomy

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. orlando
2. las vegas
3. boracay, philippines
4. Cagayan de oro, philippines

Four websites I visit daily:
1. MSN
2. Yahoo
3. Perfect Pet Rescue
4. Google

Four of my favorite foods:
1. japanese
2. thai
3. tapas
4. steak

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Greece
2. Italy Tuscany region
3. South Africa
4. Bahamas

Four things I always carry with me:
1. cell phone
2. purse
3. keys
4. debit card

I guess the above questionnaire doesn't really tell people much about me except what I like and don't like. Getting to know someone is an adventure that takes time and patience. It is not something that can be summarized with a few questions.

Italy, give it to the French!

I may not be an expert on soccer (or football, whatever you want to call it) but I did follow this year's World Cup. I may not be a fan of the French team but I do believe that they were cheated of the title as the World Cup champions. Yes, Italy won with a penalty kick but I don't think that's enough. They had to resort to 'cheating' to win. Materazzi knew that Zidane is an emotional player. Materazzi knew that if Zidane had stayed in the game Italy had no chance of winning. The Italians had been slacking since the start of the second half. They looked tired. They played tired. They needed to do something to defeat the French and they resorted to unsportsmanlike behavior.

Yes, what Zidane did was just as bad. He is after all the captain and he should have acted like one (but then again one can argue that George W. Bush is President of the US and he surely doesn't act like it either). We will never truly know what Materazzi told him to provoke such behavior but if the rumors are true, then Italy should give up the Cup. Materazzi should just stop making excuses. He should stop playing like the victim (saying he's not cultured enough to know what an "Islamic terrorist" is, when that clearly has nothing to do with culture). He should just 'fess up that he cheated and now he's lying about it. But he never will. His reputation is at stake and he has to lie to defend his honor, his reputation, his World Cup victory.

For more on the history of Materazzi and racism in the World Cup, please refer to and article written by Dave Zirin (as it appeared on Znet.com):

Why Today I Wear My Zidane Jersey

Imagine Michael Jordan in his last game, with the score tied in overtime, knocking out his defender with a punch to the throat. Imagine Derek Jeter in game seven of the World Series, at bat with the bases loaded, thrashing the opposing team's catcher over the head with his bat. Our collective shock would only be exceeded by disappointment. No one, fan or foe, would want to a see a great player end their career in an act that speaks to the worst impulses of sports: when hard competition spills over into violence.

Now imagine if Jordan and Jeter claimed they were provoked with a racial slur. Does their violence become understandable? Even excusable? Herein lies the case of French National team captain, the great Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane, competing in his last professional match, was kicked out of the World Cup final in overtime for flattening Italian player Marco Materazzi with the head-butt heard around the world.

Zidane, or Zissou as he is known, became the first captain ever ejected from a World Cup championship match. The announcers denounced Zissou for committing a "classless act and the French team withered, eventually losing to a demonstrably inferior Italian squad in overtime. The following morning the international tabloids with their typical grace, gave Zissou a new nickname: "butt-head."

Less examined was the fact that Zissou was literally carrying a lightly regarded French team to the finals. Less examined was the fact that Zissou had been grabbed, kicked, and fouled all game by the vaunted Italian defense. Less examined was the fact that Zissou had almost left minutes earlier due to injury, his arm wilting off his shoulder like a wet leaf of spinach. This unholy amount of pressure is the primary reason the 34-year-old veteran snapped and planted Materazzi into the pitch.

Now the great mystery is what set Zissou off. What could Materazzi have possibly said to send him over the edge? Answers are beginning to filter out.

According to a FIFA employee transcribing what was said during the match, Materazzi's called Zissou a "big Algerian shit."

A Brazilian television program that claims to have used a lip-reader said Materazzi called Zissou's sister "a whore." The highly respected French anti-racist coalition SOS Racisme issued a press release stating, "According to several very well informed sources from the world of football, it would seem [Materazzi] called Zissou a 'dirty terrorist'."

Materazzi, in an answer that can only be called Clintonian, said, "It is absolutely not true. I didn't call him a terrorist." Of course he didn't comment on what he did call him. Zissou himself has only said cryptically that he would reveal what Materazzi said "in the coming days."

Right now, we do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt what was said but all the circumstantial evidence points at least toward a variant of SOS Racisme's claim.

Zissou is the son of Algerian immigrants who has sparred verbally with Europe's far-right political machine for more than a decade. He is an outspoken anti-racist on a team that has defined itself by its multiculturalism and stubborn insistence to stand up against bigotry both inside and outside the sport.

Materazzi on the other hand, will be playing this year for the Italian team Lazio, where his father was the former coach. Lazio's fan club, The Ultras, are notorious for their Fascist-friendly politics. Lazio's hardcore Ultras, known as the "Irriducibili," have members in Italy's extra-parliamentary far right and try to use the club to recruit. The group has frequently uses racist and anti-Semitic banners, one time hanging a 50-foot banner that said their opponents were a "team of niggers."

It's wrong to taint Materazzi for the actions of Lazio's fans, but there is more. Earlier this season in a match that pitted Messina against Inter in Sicily, Messina's star African player Marc Zoro famously picked up the ball and walked off the pitch in protest of the monkey chants rained upon him by Inter supporters.

In a stirring act of solidarity, many of the Inter players immediately showed support for Zoro's actions. But one opponent yelled, "Stop that, Zoro, you're just trying to make a name for yourself." That opponent's name was Marco Materazzi.

At the start of this tournament I wrote a soccer column with my colleague John Cox, called Racism Stalks the Cup. We expressed our concern that the monkey chants, banana peels, and peanuts raining down on African players this year would continue on the sport's grandest stage. This largely did not occur.

But then in the final act, at the moment of most exquisite tension, it seems racism may have actually emerged from the shadows. I, for one, am damn glad that when it did, it ran smack into Zissou's beautiful head.

We don't know with iron certainty what Materazzi said, but if it turns out to be more of the anti-Black, anti-Muslim, garbage that has infected soccer like a virus, the Italian team should forfeit the cup. They should voluntarily give the greatest trophy of them all back to FIFA as a statement that some things in this world are more important than sports.

Racism will be the death of soccer if things don't change. Italy can set the sport back on course, with one simple, stunning gesture.

Give the damn thing back.

Dave Zirin is the author of "What's My name Fool?": Sports and Resistance in the United States (Haymarket Books). You can receive his column Edge of Sports, every week by e-mailing edgeofsports-subscribe@zirin.com. Contact him at whatsmynamefool2005@yahoo.com.