Well that was fun...
In short, Davina and I are over. She was extremely clingy and considering that I'm leaving soon, I suggested that we just be friends. Her response to this? She accused me of using her and only wanting "one thing." Nevermind that I was SERIOUSLY trying to spare her some of the heartbreak associated with my eventual departure. I was rather insulted by her comment and went on to suggest that we not even be friends. That night she called me and we had it out. We decided to be friends. The following day at work, we were flirtatious online. She suggested that we hang out Friday night. I remind her of this today and she says shes busy all weekend. I try to find an in but she resists. I notice this and call bullshit asking if she would rather just not hang out with me again before I leave and she confirms my suspicions. Why can't women just be HONEST?!?! Is it THAT hard? So now we're back to being nothing at all.

Now what is my take on all of this? She can't handle it. She likes me too much. I'm not trying to sound conceded or egotistical. In fact she told me multiple times before that she was convinced that she would be hurt when I left. That was my reasoning for trying to cool things down ahead of time. It clearly backfired. Ah well...on to the windy city.

I should be doing my taxes
It's 9:45. Bobby is in his room reading and Kenneth has walked to the Grove to read at Barnes and Noble. Had I a book to read, I'm sure I'd be doing the same. Had I a guitar to play, I'm sure my mind would be much clearer, but having only my laptop on a weeknight, a rare occasion by itself, I'm left to write. I could be filling out my taxes and getting my refund that much sooner so that it might gain that little extra interest, but instead I'll let the government reap the benefits. I could be cleaning my room and improving the environment in which I live, but that would require slightly more inspiration than it would take for me to keep typing. The thought process is simple really. My room is dirty. I should clean it. Why should I clean it when I'm leaving in three weeks anyway? Because it's always more comfortable to be in a clean room. But why would I want to be more comfortable. I'm leaving in three weeks. Discomfort will make it easier to leave. Is ADD contagious? If so, I think Jessi gave it to me, along with untidiness. Wow. My room looks like a shit hole. I guess the defining difference between my room here and my room in NYC is that I had more time to clean it in NY. The difference between my room here and my room in Tampa, is that I spent a lot more time in my room in Tampa. I'll haven't a TV in my room in Chicago so I'm sure my room will be cleaner. I guess this is what I get for listening to David Gray. Nothing puts me at a greater state of indifference than the listening to David Gray, not because his music is anything special or because I enjoy it that much, but more because he sings like it just doesn't matter...kind of like the way I seem to be writing tonight.

I know I had a point, but it seems almost trivial now. I think I had many points. I was going to start by talking about my trip to Vegas a few weeks ago, but what would I say? I went to Vegas...woo. It was my first trip there. Originally I was supposed to go to San Francisco with Jessi, but then Bobby made plans for us all to go to Vegas. I wasn't really pressured into going, but I figured I could go to San Fran with Jessi another time. In hindsight, even though I still haven't gone to San Fran, I made the right decision. The Friday night before the Saturday that we were supposed to leave for Vegas, Bobby and I went to the Well for a few drinks. We came home with an obvious buzz. It wasn't long after that Bobby kept drinking and became drunk exclaiming, "LET'S GO TO VEGAS NOW!!!" Ken said OK, I said OK, and we left at 9pm for Vegas. We arrived at 2:30am and quickly lost over $800 between the three of us. By 8am we were able to check into our hotel room pass out. When we awoke, we washed, rinsed, and repeated. This time I kept my money in my wallet. That night Bobby and I went out after Ken threw a tantrum about my feet being on the bed. We had a blast. The following day we started things off right with the Champagne brunch. 10am and 3 bottles of champagne later, we were feeling pretty good. We drank all day to keep the feeling going. Bobby drank too much and threw up all over the hotel room floor. We got some interesting video footage of his antics pre vomit. Needless to say only Ken and I were able to go out that night. Again we had a blast and returned to the hotel for an early morning departure. Overall, I think the Vegas trip brought us all closer together. Ken explained to me that the beef he had with me previously was all based on the fact that I never invited him out with Jessi and I when we went out with her friends. I explained to him that he would haven't hated her friends and most of the places that we went. We're on decent terms now.

On another note, as of last night, I've officially accomplished every aspiration that I possibly could haven't hoped for while in Hollywood. A few weeks ago I went to a screening of Constantine. The screening was at the Warner Bros. Studios and took place at the exact same time as the Hollywood Premiere. I would haven't loved to be at the actual premiere, but this was exciting as well. I drove to the lot and gave my name to security. Rob, a guy at work, had arranged for me to meet his boyfriend (yes boyfriend) a casting agent, when I got there. The screening was for all of the Warner Bros. staff that wasn't invited to the premiere. On the way out, I got lost and ended up driving through all these different sets before I found a security guard and was pointed in the right direction. Until last night I thought that was the closest I'd get to "Hollywood." About a week ago someone at work asked us if we would like to go to one of the screenings for Guess Who. Naturally, Bobby, Ken, and I were very interested. We selected the day that we would like to go and it was set. This was to be one of the test screenings that gaged how the movie would do upon release. We later received another email asking us if we would rather go to the Hollywood Premiere. I think that's a STUPID question. So last night, that fantasy came true. We went to the official Hollywood Premiere of Guess Who. I spoke with Chris Rock as well as the lead actress from Guess Who. I saw Ashton Kutcher, Bernie Mac, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, the girl from Ice Princess, Wilmer Valderama (would haven't preferred to see his ex Lindsay Lohan though), and Anthony Kedis the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I saw others whos names I haven't forgotten, but I got to walk on the red carpet, stand in line for popcorn with the celebs (popcorn is free at the premieres), and Bobby got to pee next to Chris Rock in the bathroom haha. The theatre (Grauman's Chinese) was AMAZING. The two biggest differences with seeing a premiere were, of course, seeing the actress on screen and realizing that she was sitting just a few rows away, and the clapping that occurred during the credits. Every name drew applause. It was a true reminder that we were in Hollywood. Afterwords I started thinking to myself...how many people get to go to the Hollywood premiere of a major motion picture? I'd venture to say few. I also haven't a phone number to call if I ever want to go to another one. I'd say that's a good connection to haven't, especially if I ever want to impress a girl :o)

Speaking of girls...I can't help but think that I'm starting to get pretty good at getting what I wish for. Davina and I are dating. We both know that I'm leaving in a few weeks, but we're having fun anyway. She really likes me and I really like her. It's SO incredibly refreshing. She's a workaholic, she doesn't smoke, shes responsible and very attractive. She also has a British accent :o) So as far as my girl check list, she checks off the British accent, Indian girl, and Hong Kong native boxes. Oh she's filthy stinking rich too. She's invited me to visit her in Hong Kong when she goes back and says that I can stay in one of her family's hotels. She herself is staying at her relatives' vacant two-bedroom condo across from Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. It's ridiculous. The only problem is that she really keeps her guard up because I'm leaving. She's going to get hurt and she knows it. I'm going to hurt her and I know it. I also know that I won't get hurt. I'm immune at this point. My level if indifference has reached a point that scares me. I almost feel like I've become incapable of feeling. I think someday I'll learn how to feel again, but not anytime soon. Maybe it's more that I won't let myself feel anything. Who knows?

On a lighter note, I've gotten some good news about my potential jobs at the end of the program. It looks like I will end up in NYC and it looks like I'll be making at least the minimum that I set for myself to remain with the company and living in NYC. Still, if they offer me the same amount of money to live in LA, I may haven't a very difficult decision on my hands. I really love it out here. I really can't put my finger on why. I do love the weather. I don't miss winter. I love the fact that I can drive an hour in any direction and be somewhere else that is completely spectacular. The houses here are amazing. I'd much rather live in LA and be rich than live in Manhattan and be rich. I'm actually starting to get an image of myself in the future. I don't like thinking about the future, but I am starting to see a path forming before me. It could be a mirage and I certainly won't know for sure until the summer, but it still gives me more piece of mind than I've had in over a year. I'm not looking forward to Chicago, but I'm also not dreading it. My indifference has spread to my feelings about the move. I'll take Chicago in stride. I'll enjoy myself where and when I can and make the most of it overall, just like I've done in NYC, Tampa, and LA. If I can make it through the next four months, I think I'll be able to say that I officially made it. The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter. I don't think it's a train. If it is, I'm indifferent.

I Feel Like Whining
As good a time as any for a journal entry. Tonight I was the proud recipient of a vivid reminder of why I end up dating trashy women. In my last post I left out the story of Jessi. I feel it's important to precede any further thoughts with that story. I met Jessi on my balcony. She lives 2 floors beneath me. One night prior to going out I called down to the females below, not knowing what they looked like, and Jessi popped her head out and replied. She was all made up to go out and dressed to kill. She was blonde, about 5'2", and very cute. I invited her and her friends up for a beer, but only she and one other came. We hit it off rather well and I quickly asked for her number so that we could go out the following night. We did indeed go out and over the course of that evening, I learned that she came from a lot of money, knew a lot of celebrities, and went to fashion school in LA. She seemed nice. The next month of clubbing, going to bars, and hanging out with celebrities, would lead to a tremendous amout of discoveries about her, her actions, and her habits that would lead me to realize that I really shouldn't be anywhere near her. Her incessant drinking, coke habit, and former employment as a stripper should have tipped me off, but it took her blatant cheating for me to end it. In hindsight, I dont know what the fuck I was thinking save for she was someone to hang out with and was female company when I had none.

Fast-forwarding to tonight, I went to Mike Fajardo's birthday party. It was a great time and he seems to know an incredible amount of GORGEOUS single females. You wouldn't think it to look at him. I first spotted Candy who is in sales for toilet paper. I thought she was joking, but hey whatever, its a job and she makes more money than I do. The second was Sum Sum, a very cute Asian girl. The third was Davina. Candy was probably a few years older than me but she seemed interested nonetheless. I ended up gravitating towards Sum Sum though as she was definitely hotter. In hindsight, I think Candy would have been the better pick. Ultimately, Candy ended up leaving without saying goodbye, Sum Sum reluctantly gave me her number saying "but aren't you leaving soon?" and Davina pulled the whole "but we work together" bullshit. So basically nice girls aren't willing to date a guy thats leaving soon and aren't willing to deal with the workplace drama either. Davina also said a lot of shitty things when she was drunk. I'll probably just let them go but whatever. So if I want female company, it looks like I'm pretty much limited to immature trash and girls that are going through a slut phase. Sure it might sound cool to someone that has been in a relationship forever or someone that never sees any action, but it fucking sucks when all you really want is to meet someone nice and be able to spend time with them and have them want to spend time with you. Yes I'm leaving...I can deal with that. I wish I could find a NICE girl that could as well. 'Til then I shall remain as tormented and discontented as always. Cheers.

Update on LA

Today marks the one-month anniversary of my arrival to LA and more importantly the one-year anniversary of my start at Nielsen. I already recapped the year so I'm only going to focus on LA and Hollywod. In many ways Hollywood really is just like it's portrayed. Everyone that I meet works in the entertainment industry. Cocaine is the drug of choice. There is a sizeable gay population. Some people are VERY strange. Some women are VERY direct. I see the Hollywood sign out of one window at work, the LA skyline out of another, and James Cromwell lives in my building at the Palazzo East. I even survived my first earthquake. It was only a 4.0.

As far as working here goes, it's substantially different than anything I've ever experienced. Most people in my department arrive at 8:30am and leave at 7pm. Lunch breaks are substantially less than the usual hour. My superiors are incredibly intelligent and successful. They make me wonder if I'll be anywhere near that level when I'm their age. There are also a lot of homosexuals at work. It doesn't really bother me except when they check me out or try to flirt with me. I can definitely see how years of that drove my grandfather from the fashion industry and out of Hollywood.

Another difference is in the way that we are treated here. By we I mean Ken, Bobby, and Myself. For some reason everyone here seems to think we are interns and in an internship program. They call us interns, they give us intern work, and even make us park in the intern parking lot three blocks away while the rest of the employees park in the building. At first I didn't mind, but it's gotten to the point where I'm quick to point out the difference. I interviewed with three HR reps, five senior management members, and the damn CEO of the company who has since been promoted to an even higher position. I deserve a little more respect than that given to the typical intern.

Outside of work things are more interesting. Ken and I went out every night for the first couple of weeks that we were here. We've definitely been to most of the hot nightspots in Hollywood. The first night we went out, we met a couple of girls that worked in the music business. One was a talent scout and the other...I don't remember really. Ironically, its the one that I don't remember that I was most interested in. She was a tall asian with a great figure, great smile, and seemingly great personality. I couldn't have been more wrong on the last part. The first time we hung out was great, but she called me way too much afterwards and didn't want to let anytime go by between our first time and our second time. I had no intention of calling her back, but then I locked Ken and I out of the apartment. That night I called her up, invited her out for drinks, got her drunk, and got her to give me permission to drive out to Santa Monica where my other roommate was passed out with a set of keys to the apartment. It was definitely the first time I ever used a girl, but I let her crash at my place instead of sending her home drunk. I'm so nice lol. I didn't take advantage of her physically though...despite her repeated attempts. In the morning she thanked me, but I'm sure she doesn't recall half the shit she said that night to make me realize that I never wanted to see her again. She told me she masturbated to the thought of me!! What kind of first date conversation is that?!?!

2004 Comes to an End. 2005 Begins.
This year has been by far the most influential of my life. In one year, I feel like I have lived 10. One year and one week ago, I learned that my life would be forever changed by an 18-month job that would take me to the some of the largest cities in the country. A relationship that I thought could endure, ended 10 days after I left. Random relationships came and went, some more noteworthy than others. Another relationship took surprisingly long to end after I had left NY. Still a third in Tampa, ended on traumatic circumstances that still remain largely unexplained and unaddressed. I'd rather be done discussing it as I finally acheived a level of closure when I left Tampa.

Binghamton only brought more drama and not just from the usual source. This time it came from two others. One girl that was more "into me" than I had seen in recent times and another that I merely ran into. The first led me to question my standards. More or less I wondered where they had gone. Based on the fact that I'm incapable of having a girlfriend in the situation that I'm in, I think my new standard is based solely on looks and level of interest. It's starting to seem dangerous. The second reminded me of my standards. I had a crush on her from 7th grade through graduation. She was/is the epidomy of girls; smart, driven, attractive, and confident. When I spoke with her, she seemed as happy to see me as I was to see her. I couldn't help but pose the prodigal "What if" in my head. What if I had pursued her? Well she surely wasn't in my circle of friends so it's doubtful anything would have come of it. What if I asked her to have lunch with me? I think there's a good chance that she would have said yes, but what good would that have done? I'd spend time with her, realize I still had a crush on her, and then say goodbye. At least I can take from our chance encounter, the reminder that there ARE still girls out there like that and I still find them completely irresistable.

Rochester was somewhat uneventful. Upon arrival I went out with Jeremy and some other people. It was a good time, but one girl who was touching me all night and flirting up a storm pulled the old "I'm sorry...I have plans...but I love you!" response when I asked her if she wanted to do something together the following day. She complains that no guys like her and wallows in her own misery over some schmuck that hurts her. Gee...where have I seen that before? The next day I went to lunch with Amber. She's another one the keeps my hope alive of finding someone that is fun and attractive, yet not a complete nut job. Plus I think she thinks I'm cute :o)

Well that's enough about the female situation in my life. A more important subject has been my job. In NYC I got to work with some of the most interesting people I've ever met. I gained a level of exposure to upper management that I wouldn't have thought possible until many years down the road. I guess I made a good impression because my boss and his boss insist that I work for them when I return. Both are SVPs with a maximum of one person between them and the CEO. In Florida I found the people I worked with to be much less influential and more behind-the-scenes, but interesting nonetheless. I wouldn't want to work permanently in that area of the company, but only because the work was boring at times. The people were definitely great though. Now I'm in LA with a new position, a new assignment, and most importantly, a new year.

Victor's Reflections On...
Dating

I am having a difficult time deciding whether or not the past year has been my most successful dating year or my least. If we're talking numbers...I win. If we're talking quality...I liken it to the search for weapons of mass destruction. Today I found myself thinking about each girl that I've seen since the beginning of '04. I started analyzing each one for certain qualities by asking myself questions.

Would I feel comfortable taking this girl to a company function?
Would this girl drive me to excel or hold me back?
Is this a girl that I could see myself with long-term?
If I suddenly wanted to quit my job and pursue a life of entrepreneurship never knowing where the next paycheck would come from, would this girl be able to handle it?

I found few that garnered a yes response to question one and the ones that did surprised me. I'm not sure that any of them would drive me to excel or live a life of uncertainty, and due to the ever-changing female psyche, I don't think that any of them were viable long-term options. The answers are definitely not conclusive, but they do lead me to believe that my search for truth will continue.

Unfortunately, I'm getting quite sick of dating. With each girl I meet comes the eventuality of having to say good-bye. Granted, I could meet someone special that lures me back to wherever I meet her, but I would hate to base a life decision such as job location on only a few weeks or months of knowing someone. So why then do I continue to see people when I know the situation that I'm in doesn't lend itself to any long-term possibilities? Well it all started with using one girl to get over another. It continued to using another girl to get over that one...another to get over that one...and so on. I mentioned this to an adult who's name is of no consequence and his response to my dismay was laughter. "So? Everyone does that." Still, it did little to make me feel any less of a slut. Perhaps, again, I'm just a victim of the numbers. "Everyone does it" a few times. I just happen to have done it a lot.

Always the optimist, I have noticed the upside to my lifestyle. The idiosyncrasies of women, once thought to be unique and unpredictable, are quite the opposite. The more women I meet, the more repetitions and commonalities I notice. It's getting to the point where I think I've become quite good at reading females and predicting their behaviors based on past encounters. The advantage to this is that I find myself wasting less time with women of little value or doing so with full knowledge of what I'm getting into. I guess what I'm trying to say is...when it comes to females (cosmo ain't got nothin...nevermind) nothing surprises me anymore. One thing that I have to put an end to is pushing the issue. I'm sick of trying to see people that don't want to see me, trying to talk people into wanting to see me when they don't, and otherwise trying to influence events and perceptions that I shouldn't have to influence. I really just need to go with the flow, but in my first effort to enact a change, I'm going to make it a point NOT to drive into Charlotte on my way through North Carolina.

His Trip to Rochester

Well, having already covered through Monday, I can begin with Tuesday. Soccer was fun, but it completely fucked up my back. I thought I had healed well enough to play, but by the end of the day, I was back to square one and can now barely walk. Dinosaur BBQ was a great treat. My folks and I saw National Treasure which was a great movie. Later that night, my father and I met up with Erik and Jeremy at open-mic night at Comix Cafe. Having always thought of trying it, I threw together a list of jokes that I wrote, and took the stage. People seemed to like me. My father did the same with his own jokes but I believe I did better. Naturally, there were veterans that were funnier than me, but there were also veterans that were absolutely horrible. I felt very comfortable on stage and definitely plan to make a habit of getting up there.

Jeremy brought two girls with him. Cristina and Carrie. Cristina I knew, but Carrie was a new face. I thought she was nice enough to see again so I took her for coffee and dinner the next night. We had plans to hang out again Friday and Saturday, but there were unforeseen obstacles. Oh well.

Wednesday night I went out with Rick and Shannon to Tiki Bob's. Thursday was Turkey Day. Friday I went out with Dave Trombino to a pretty lame party. Saturday night I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Jeremy, Erik, My Folks, Laurie, Nate, Teri, Jigmo, and Jackie. Sunday I flew home in a rather uneventful trip.

The Ketchup Post
Forgive me blog for I have sinned. It has been over one month since my last confession. I had been looking forward to the time when I might finally be able to sit down and write another entry, but I have surprisingly little to talk about. I'm happy to report that I will be in Rochester Nov. 19th-28th. Strangely enough, I'm not nearly as happy as I was when I purchased the plane ticket at a mind-bogglingly cheap $178. Perhaps it's because I find myself having more than enough people to hang out with. Between Jason and Mike Yaravitz, I think I'd probably have lots of fun sticking around here for that week.

But who am I kidding? Who's the real reason? I've been spending a lot of time with Heather, who will be staying in Tampa as well. For background, Heather is a cheerleader at the University of Tampa. Despite what you may be thinking, shes extremely intelligent, majoring in economics with plans to continue for her masters and PhD, and a talented photographer. She's also from NY. At 21 she's also the oldest girl I've dated in...ok not that long but still. The only two things that I don't find very appealing about her are her small tattoo and the fact that she voted for Bush :o) Nevertheless, shes been fun to hang out with, as have her cheerleader friends and sorority roommates.

Rochester

As will be evident by the following, this journal entry was written in pieces. I am now in Rochester and have fallen victim to a whirlwind of emotions. Friday night I went out with Jeremy to Spot Coffee where I met the girl of my dreams. A band was playing and she was one of the lead...musicians. The band was made up of four cellists and a drummer. They played a variety of heavy metal covers with nothing but the strings and drums. Picture, if you will, a gorgeous blonde turning out Kirk Hammett's guitar solos on a cello without batting an eyelash. There was definitely a steady stream of drool dripping from my mouth. After the show, I spoke with her for a while, but between the fact that she was only 18, and I'm only in town for a few days, I didn't bother asking her out.

Saturday I met up with Erik, Rick, Shannon, Jeremy, and my folks for dinner at Flour City Brewery. The company was great and the food was decent. FCB is in the old Jack Astor's. When I left that night, it felt weird to not be going to Amy's place. She rarely wanted to go to Jack's with my friends and I so I would usually go and then drive to her apt right after. Even the smells of the parking lot seemed to transport me to a couple of years earlier.Last night I stayed in and watched a couple of movies with my folks and today I went to Toronto for the day. Tomorrow I'll be playing soccer, eating at Dinosaur BBQ, possibly going to a movie, and then to open-mic night at Comix Cafe. Wednesday is definitely going to be party night. Thursday is TG. Friday is more partying. Saturday is TG at Scott's house followed by more partying. Sunday is sleeping and flying back to Tampa.

Coming Soon: Reflections on Tampa, Predictions for Hollywood, Predictions for Summer '05, New Life Goals.

Reality Bytes
Unforunately, I didn't take advantage of our most recent hurricane to update my blog, but Ken and I were way too busy watching Crossroads (yes, with Britney Spears). I'm sure we haven't seen the last of the hurricanes, therefore I'm sure my blog has not seen the last of my writings.

Hurricane Jeanne was a real bitch and in more ways than one. Sure, it kept me house-bound, watching horrible DivX movies that I should have never downloaded in the first place, for a day, but that's nothing compared to what it did to Haiti on its way through the first time. At last count, 1,600 people were killed by Jeanne in Haiti. Normally this would be just a number, just 1600 nameless, faceless, units of existence that I would never see or hear about. I'm not trying to be callous, but let's face it how many people do you know that died in a hurricane? Well this time it hit closer to home, just not my home. This time it hit home for the bathroom attendant at the Blue Martini.

I generally hate the idea of bathroom attendants. I can wash my hands and pick up a piece of paper towel ALL BY MYSELF! Why should I have to tip someone to do it for me? Nevertheless, I usually leave my dollar, take a stick of gum, a spritz of expensive cologne, and take my leave. This time was different. Jason preceded me in the bathroom and upon exiting told me that the attendant's wife had died but the man didn't have the money to travel back to Haiti for her funeral and burial. I didn't think much of it. In fact, Bobby and I actually figured the guy was just trying to get some extra money out of him. When I went to the bathroom, I saw that the man was noticeably shaken. His Haitian accent was apparent, but his grief was not. I asked him how he was and he informed me of the same unfortunate news. I knew he wasn't lying. I felt even worse for him in seeing that it had not yet hit him. He didn't cry. He went about his job. He seemed in a daze and I could tell that he had no idea what to do. Reality crashed a little harder when the manager came in to talk to him and told him that he could leave for the night because they were able to get someone else to come in to work. Sure enough the attendant left.

The only good that came of our conversation and the information involved, was a glowing reminder that the shit I complain about means absolutely nothing. I wish I could thank him for clearing my mind of all the petty things that bother me sometimes. Here's a man that probably left Haiti to make money to support his wife back home and now he no longer had a wife. His purpose was quite possibly gone. I don't know what I feel worse about...hearing such awful news, or only leaving my usual dollar in his cup afterwards. It's only a shame I can't loop around like the antithesis of Jeanne and do right instead. He gave me a lot more than I gave him.

Tropical Storm Random
So yes it's late. Yes I should be sleeping despite not having work tomorrow, but I have things to talk about; revelations of sorts. Frances has slowed to a tropical storm, but refuses to hurry her fat ass up and has decided to linger over Tampa dumping what is expected to be 5-20 inches of rain. For those of you unfamiliar with hurricanes and ridiculous rainfall amounts, but more so with snow, a science teacher once told me that an inch of rain equals nearly 10 inches of snow. I suppose the upper end of our scale would then equate to a Rochester snow storm of 200 inches. Well...at least I won't have to shovel.

There are two things on my mind tonight. The first is movies that attempt to make a point and fall short in being convincing. Two examples come to mind: Serendipity and the Family Man. In Serendipity Jon Cusack meets Kate Beckinsale (a vision of perfection by any man's standards). They have a great time together but alas they are both involved and part ways allowing fate to bring them together again if it is meant to be. Blah blahblah blahblah! Years go by and Jon ends up with Bridgette Moynahan (hardly a sad ending). Kate ends up with some loser musician that would probably piss me off as much in person as he did in this role and his role in Sex in the City. My point is that Bridget Moynahan's character was STILL awesome. I mean the only thing Kate had up on her was the accent which I'm told usually fades quicker than the looks. The least the writers could have done would be to make her a bitch or money-grubbing or unkind. For God's sake GIVE HER A FLAW! I suppose perhaps that was part of their point. Jon has to leave this great girl because he's obsessed with this girl he met earlier and he's leaving everything up to chance that she is everything he thought she was and that he'll even find her again. Maybe I'm not the hopeless romantic that I thought I was, but I still have a problem with the fact that either way, Cusack was getting a much better deal than any man alive today ('cept for maybe those married to Moynahan and Beckinsale in real life).

In the Family Man, Nicholas Cage is a rich and powerful business man with an awesome apt, beautiful women, and a Ferrari. Sure, money and materials aren't everything, but his character is a very happy man. He works hard, plays hard, but loves what he does. Then Don Cheadle comes in and fucks things up. He tries to show him all he doesn't have by giving him a taste of the family life. Sure Nick Cage loves it. Of course Tea Leoni doesn't make it hard. Ok she makes it hard, but not DIFFICULT. The problem with the plot is, Cage didn't know what he was missing. He was happy in his life. He was content. He didn't want more or something else because he didn't know what it was like. So what was the point of Cheadle stepping in?! As if the world isn't discontent with their lives enough, this schmuck has to go and make one more person want more than they have and not be grateful! When Cage is brought back into his own reality, HES MISERABLE! WHY?! Because he's seen the grass on the other side and saw that it was greener, but had no conception of GREEN at all when he was living happily as a bachelor making millions! BAH! Nevertheless, both are great movies that I enjoy...until their eventual climaxes when I throw blunt objects at the TV screen.

It's movies that leads me to my next topic. New York City. I watched You've Got Mail AND Serendipity tonight (hurricane's make you do weird shit). Both were filmed in NYC and I noticed myself recognizing the locations of nearly every scene. I realized that lots of romantic movies are filmed in NYC. I'm not a huge fan of romantic movies, but for some reason I like the ones filmed in NYC (and those with Kate Beckinsale of course). So I started to think about it and I really am a hopeless romantic at heart. Any girl that has dated me and gotten to know me will tell you that. Perhaps even some girls that don't know me that well will tell you that. Sadly, I come across as the player, but that's only me making the best out of my current situation which is one of constant travel. In all honesty, my player-like ways are merely the byproduct of my search for a girl that I treat like a queen and shower with love and affection. How sappy is THAT?! Too sappy for some I've learned and not sappy enough for others. I also tend to hide my hopeless romantic side for fear of scaring girls off that might not be at a point in their lives where they are ready for it. I'm not anal about my need to shower a girl with attention. I do make exceptions...some for the sake of experience (not that kind) and others in the hopes that they will change and I will be around when it happens. In fact I should make my impression, leave and let them change and come find me if indeed they do. Now for those that actually DO read my ramblings on occasion DO NOT try to associate specific people or names with any of my thoughts. There are no concrete connections but perhaps a number of pieces to a puzzle to which many people have contributed.

This brings me to a sidebar. Maybe one of the reasons that I love NYC so much is because of how romantic it is. I mean honestly...could a movie like You've Got Mail have been filmed in TAMPA?! Picture Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan constantly running into each other at Westshore Mall or the Green Iguana rather than quaint markets and coffee shops. It just doesn't work. If NYC is really so romantic and it is indeed one of the reasons I like it so much, I feel compelled to reanalyze each and every successful dating experience that I had there. How many girls did I take to Serendipity, walks in the Park, walks in the Village? It's rather hard to have an unromantic time and therefore an unsuccessful date with resources like that. So were these girls REALLY that great? Was I REALLY that charming? Ok the few times that I actually cooked and we stayed in to watch a movie, that was all me ;o) But what about the other times?? Then again, I did have two INCREDIBLE apartments. I really should have taken more advantage of the seduction capabilities of that second one though. Damn! So I guess what I'm wondering is...if I had met these girls somewhere else in some other city, would the dates have gone as well? Would I have liked them as much? Would they have liked me as much? Conversely, when looking at my dating experiences elsewhere, would my more mediocre dates have been grand slams in NYC? That's a lot of shit to analyze and digest. Maybe I'm wasting my time, but what if I'm not? I wonder if the divorce rate of NYC residents is higher or lower than other parts of the country. On one hand, there's never a shortage of romantic activities for couples, but on the other, there's never a shortage of temptation and seduction using said romantic activities. One could go insane thinking about this...especially at 3 in the morning...in a tropical storm.

Tampa Doesn't Suck, but Frances Blows
Well it's been a while since I wrote anything. I figured it only appropriate that since there was another hurricane bearing down on the area, I hop on and let some words trickle out.

So the last time I wrote I was complaining a lot. I guess I'm done complaining. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...Tampa isn't THAT bad. I've gotten used to driving everywhere. I've gotten used to work. I've even gotten used to all the old and stupid people. The place I live is making things easier. I've met lots of people here at the gym and the pool. Everyone is fairly nice and I recently learned that the Bucs wide receiver lives here as do some of the Bucs cheerleaders and even the Yankees during spring training. As you can imagine, these apartments are pretty damn nice. The pool is awesome. By awesome I mean...there are plenty of 5'6" blondes with PERFECT bodies laying around. Of course they're the Bucs cheerleaders so they are rather intimidating, but they're still nice to look at.

I got to see Dave Trombino last week up in Orlando. My friend Jason and I met Dave and his bro Mark at Pleasure Island. The whole night was AWESOME. The first place we went to was some Adventure Club where they had comedy shows. Jason and I didn't really want to go but Dave insisted so we checked it out. Turned out to be a blast as the show kinda dragged Dave into it lol. While we were in the waiting area having a drink, Jason and I noticed this really cute girl. We pretty much couldn't take our eyes off of her (wish I had brought my camera). Mark was sitting next to her and her friend but didn't talk to her. I tried to switch seats with him but he refused (rightfully so). Dave said we could leave but at this point I said "hey I'm following stripes!" (she had a striped shirt on). When we went into the showroom, we sat as close to them as possible, but we were still too far away. Luckily when Dave got dragged into the show, it became our ice-breaker. While walking out of the show, I told her that Dave always gets picked on when we go to comedy shows. Her friend had gotten picked on during the show too so we had that in common. We invited the girls to come with us to the next club...and the next...and the next...and the next. Jason and I were clearly competing for stripes (Charlotte) so I paused a moment and made sure that we would be cool no matter who she ended up liking if either of us. As the night went on, I was certain that she was either more interested in Jason OR had a boyfriend and wasn't telling us. Turns out the case was neither ;o) I just wasn't showing enough interest. So I turned it up a bit and low and behold, she really did like me. We all had a blast together and it was great seeing Dave. Charlotte was from Charlotte, NC and was down in Orlando because she had won a trip to audition for American Idol. She sang along with a few Cristina Aguilera songs and hit every note. Very impressive but apparently not what the judges were looking for. She's also a dancer and competes all over. Unfortunately, I'll probably never see her again :o(

In other news, I'm getting along better with my roommates. Ken and I hang out a bit and play tennis a lot. Bobby still wants nothing to do with me but that's his problem. I don't care if he likes me or not. Unfortunately for him, we will probably be living together until the end of June or July '05. All in all, everything is going ok. I miss NYC. I miss Rochester and the various people associated with those places. I'll be up in NYC this Thursday through Sunday.