"Just because your tattoo  has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you Spiritual. It's right above  the crack of your ass. And it translates to 'beef with broccoli.' The last  time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't  pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than  Minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available  piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, 'Do you want  fries with that?'"

-Unknown

"There's no such thing as  flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket,  water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a  soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it  melt. That's your flavored water."

-Unknown

I've become a pretty big fan of Scotch these days.  My friend Michael Williams turned me onto it with a gentle introduction via McCallen 18 Single Malt Scotch Whiskey... ooh la la.

Christmas Music Makes Me Sick

The American Express Plum Card has been great to use so far.  I am really happy with it.  In a couple weeks, I spent almost $6,000 on the card with no declines and no hassles.  I requested that my statement end on the 15th of the month instead of the 30th (which is another great perk of having the card, they let you choose your statement date.), and so now I can either pay off my balance and enjoy a cash back credit of over $100, or I can pay 10% of the balance and wait 60 days to pay off the rest.  It's really usefull!  Not to mention, I get all sorts of attention when I use it... people are like, "Wow, I've never seen this before."

In conclusion, everyone should have an American Express Plum Card.

I am listening to 93.1 JACK FM and the "Rock Lobster" song by the B-52's just came on.  I can't help but laugh at the lyrics!  I can't believe them.  Let's see, one line says, "It wasn't a rock, it was a Rock Lobster!"... and the singer is so intense about it.  It's like WO, what's going on here!?

Did you know that this song is in the Rock n' Roll Top 500 Hall of Fame, and it was the band's first single to appear on Billboard's Hot 100.  It has got to be the worst song I have ever heard.  I mean, it's funny to listen to, but what f***ing drugs were these people on!?

"Rock Lobster", Britney Spears, Pop Country, "My Hump My Hump"... MAN! We Americans desperately need to get better taste in music.

I had to drive my brother to the airport today... no, not LAX, allllll the way to Long Beach via the 405 freeway.  Not a big deal.  We figured we would get an early start, so we left at 5:00 AM.  Surprisingly, there was still some traffic!  But we got in the carpool lane and made it from Agour Hills to the Long Beach Airport in an hour.  A couple of goodbye's and my brother and his girlfriend were off.

Naturally, we can assume that there would be more traffic heading back towards downtown Los Angeles as it was getting later.  However, nothing could have prepared me for the horrific traffic I experienced.  We all know that Los Angeles drivers are horrible, and it's no wonder why.  Last time I was at the Department of Motor Vehicles to take my written exam to renew my license, the lady in front of me got 13 questions wrong.  And the lady who was grading the exam said, "Ma'am, this is your third time taking the test without passing... Are you having trouble understanding the questions?"  These are the kind of people behind the wheeel of automobiles, turning them into lethal weapons!!!

No one pays attention to the road, most people change lanes without signaling, and without even looking!!!!  It's as if they think they are the only person on a five lane freeway.  And the kicker... as soon as it starts raining, the world ends.  All logic, reason and awareness just magically disappears.

It was this combination, rush hour traffic and rain, that lead to my drive home from Long Beach Airport to Agoura Hills taking OVER 3 HOURS!!!  That's right, I travelled 55 miles in 3 hours.  That's an average of 18 miles per hour THE ENTIRE WAY HOME.

Fun.  I love Los Angeles.

I have not yet had the chance to play any version of Guitar Hero.  However, my friend Danny just purchased Rock Band for Xbox 360, and brought it to my house for the weekend.  We had a pretty sick setup with our Yamaha / surround sound system (including a Sony 12 inch subwoofer), and a DUDE - The day he brought it over, we literally spent over 8 hours glued to the television with a bottle of tequila.  I mostly played the drums.  I couldn't believe that the game included a full pseudo drum set, and a microphone that you can sing into while the game recognizes your pitch to see if you are singing in key and scores you accordingly.  Amazing!  Video games have really come a long way.

That night, I suffered a hang over and severe wrist pain from playing all day.  I haven't played it since, but I thought it was a very entertaining video game.  Good group fun... maybe even for parties because it has the whole karaoke thing going on...

I just started working on my Biodiesel Fuel Stations website (www.biodieselstations.org) which features a search function to locate gas stations by zip / postal code that pump biodiesel and other alternative fuels.  The next step for me was to start writing relevent and information articles about alternative fuels and what they mean to the world of ecenomy, energy and the environment.  I even lined up a couple contributing editors: Gerard Griesbaum, Caitlyn Carradine and Levi Powell.  After only a couple weeks, the website started coming up on the first page of Google for search terms such as "biodiesel stations".

Things were looking great until Google decided to BLACKLIST our website!  I can't figure out what would have caused that, and apparently there is no way to get yourself un-blacklisted.  One source suggested that you "write" Google to consider removing you from the blacklist, but it sounds pretty hopeless to me.

I have heard before that Google blacklists for duplicate content.  I did "borrow" some content from www.biodiesel.org, but I placed a link with it so that people would know where to go to get good information since mine didn't have any yet.  That's what I get for trying to help, eh?  Now the website is hopeless.  I don't know if Google will ever un-blacklist the domain name.  And without Google on our side, the website will never succeed.

It's really amazing to think about the power that Google has.  They giveth and they taketh away.  By using Google correctly, you can make million!  But one slip up, and BAM!  You're broke.

Caitlyn's new dog apparently loves milk!

Have you ever heard the phrase, "You are so bad at cooking that you burn water"?  Well, believe it or not, I actually burned water.  Sounds impossible, right?

I'm actually a great cook, and this is an isolated incident.  I got distracted.  But still, how did I manage to burn water?  Well, you see, I was steaming vegetables for dinner... carrots and yellow squash, and I got side tracked with power issues I was having.  For some reason, my UPS kept beeping and turning off, and I was worried about my computer equipment.  So as I was fiddling around with electronics, I started to smell burnin.  I was certain that my whole home office was going to explode in flames!  Meanwhile, my pot ran out of water, and the vegetables were really roasting.  And as it turns out, it was the vegetables that I smelled burning, not my computer.  I am still not sure what physically or chemically took place, but by the time I figured out what was going on, the vegetables were completely blackened, and so was the pot, which was completely devoid of any moisture.  So somehow, the pot just... burned... when all the water evaporated away.  I almost threw out the pot, I had to go through three rounds of scrubbing, and it is still not cleaned.

Moral of the story, yes, it is possible to burn water.  So beware!

And I still haven't figured out what is wrong with the electrical wiring in my house.

I have a pretty pussy
Her name is Kitty Powell
She likes to sit and talk with me
But all she says is "meow"

It seems as we get older, it seems we start to believe that the thing that were fun when we were younger, are no longer of any interest.  I am writing this blog to challenge that thought process.  I believe that the simplest games of our youth can be the most entertaining games of our adult lives.

Take twister for example: Simple, not mentally challenging, but as we get older, much more physically challening.  And add a little alchohol to the mix, VOILA!  Fun filled night.  Just look at these pictures from my friends' party at their new apartment in Los Feliz.

Now if you REALLY want to spice it up, here are a couple things to try.

Extreme Twister / Team Based - Try with teams, this ups the strategy involved.  Team members can help each other out while handicapping the opponent by strategic placement of limbs.

Muli-Game / Team Based - Try using multiple trister pads and making use of both of them either for each team individually, cross-team, or cross pad use.

Strip Twister / Singles Only - I will leave this up to your imagination.

In conclusion, I challenge you to try this, and apply these sorts of modifications to games of your youth.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome and the endless hours of fun.

Today heralds a huge accomplishment.  I have made an amazing recovery from my foot injury and have passed a huge milestone in my new training.  Today I ran 8.4 miles in 87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes) and although tired and soar, my foot has no pain of injury.  It's as if the physical therapy has brought me to a 100% recovery in only a couple weeks.  Amazing!  I am so happy to be running again.  My milestone for next week is 11.9 miles.  I am really looking forward to it.

When I stepped onto my lawn yesterday morning, I noticed it was particularily CRUNCHY!  "Who has crunchy grass?", I said.  I looked down and realized my grass was crunchy because it was FROZEN!  The weather has been SO cold out here in Agoura Hills... it is below freezing at night.  I leave my sliding door in my room open for my cat at night, and since I don't believe in wasting energy on heaters, it basically gets below freezing in my bedroom... and I love it.  I use two down comforters at night to keep warm, and I feel like I am camping.

I challenge anyone to find fault in this guy's arguments.

Has anyone ever noticed that EVERYTHING that Google has developed outside of their search engine lacks in functionality, reliability, and overall usefullness?  I have.  Everything from their Ad Sense to their Groups, even to their maps.  What Google does is find a company that has made something great, they buy it, take credit for it, and then ruin it.

Google Maps gives the wrong directions 9 out of 10 times and I end up being late to my meetings.  I now use Mapquest instead.

Google groups doesn't work.  At all.  You cannot find the group you want, you cannot create groups, if you join a group you can never read any threads, and the whole system is nothing more than a Spam bucket.

Ad Sense - okay, let's all sit down and try to develop the most complicated, difficult to use, mis-informed advertisement system.  That way, everyone who is using it will not realize how much they are being screwed.  You realize that Google will charge a vendor $5.00 for a click, and pay you only $0.50.  Does anyone wonder why they are billionaires??

It seems as though Google is running around like a child in a shopping mall with loads of cash just buying whatever they see that intrigues them, then playing with it until it is broken and then giving it to some one else... the public.  Google needs to focus on what they know how to do instead of spreading themselves thin.

I was stoked to receive my Amex Plum Card in the mail today, and I was also happy that it was not nearly as PINK as I thought it would be.  It is much more plum / eggplant.

I am continually impressed with the level of service and customer service that American Express offers.  If I could operate like one company, it would definitely be them.  And their branding is epic.  They sent this fancy little brochure with my Plum Card - it was so elite in design, style, and brand representation.

Today marks a milestone in my recovery.  Today I ran the furthest distance since injuring my foot.  I ran 4.9 miles!  For the last month, as soon as I hit the 3 mile marker, my foot would start suffering horrible pain and I would have to stop.  I would then be left hobbling around as a gimp for the next four days or so.  It's been very frustrating, and it seemed like things were not getting any better in spite of my several doctors visits and therapy work.

I visited Dr. Jeff Waldberg (www.orthopropt.com) again on Thursday, and since then, things have been really improving.  I ran on Saturday, and although my foot hurt at the end of the run, the pain wasn't quite as bad, and today, I just finished my run which was 1.4 miles longer than I was able to do before, and I feel no pain.  My doctor clearly did something right.  Here are a couple of things that we have been doing.  For all you runners out there, if you have an  injury in your foot, I strongly suggest you employ all these tactics for fast recovery:

• Ultrasound - My physical therapist doctor uses some ultrasound device.  Supposedly it offers "deep" warming and relaxation on the targeted area.  It feels great, kind of like a massage.
• Bone Adjustment - One theory on my foot injury was that a bone was knocked out of place.  So we did an "adjustment" similar to what a chiropractor would do via a whipping motion.
• Walk - Run Ratio - I lowered my walk run ration meaning that I used to run 7 minutes, then walk for 1 minute.  But now I am only running 4 minutes and then walking for 1 minute.
• Stretching - I decided to start stretching mid-run.  I only do one type of stretch that stretches the back part of your calf muscle.  You would be surprised how many other parts of your feet and legs are effected by this muscle pulling if it is not properly stretched and is too tense.  I have been spending at least 15 minutes before each run stretching.
• Pace - You should always keep a steady pace whether you are injured or not.
• Ice - Use ice after every run on as many joint as possible.  Target areas that hurt more, but don't forget about the other areas as well.  If you are hard core enough, you can take an ice bath to cool your entire body and relieve the inflammation everywhere.  Also, use ice on your off days even if you didn't exercise that day; use ice on injured or sore areas.  I use ice every day on my foot.
• Anti-Inflammatories / Pain Killers - I generally shy away from any type of drug.  I can deal with pain so I don't need to take pain killers after a run, but the reality is that if you do, it will drastically help decrease the inflammation of stressed or injured areas, and thus drastically shorten the recovery time.  I have been taking 2 - 4 ibuprofen every other day or so, and will continue until my foot is better.
• Keep Running! - If you are injurred, but you can still run, keep doing so, but within your bodies threshhold.  If you find that when you keep running, the distance you can run gets shorter each time, then don't continue because you are making the injury worse.  But if your distance is increasing, then keep at it.

Here is a link to more great information on foot injuries.
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/thefeet.html

Since my cat has been sick, I have had to force feed her with a syringe.  This in an instructional video on how to make a kitty burrito to facilitate the force-feeding process. The purpose of the "burriot" is to immobilze the cat, and to prevent the cat from injuring its feeder.  I also clipped my cats talons just incase she got out and freaked out, which she does occasionally.

Sorry it took me so long to get these photos up.  I lost the card reader for my Nikon Coolpix S3 digital camera, so I wasn't able to download the photos.  I just went to Staples today and picked up a Sony multi-card reader that connects through USB and works pretty great. 

Anyways, check out these insane pictures of the most recente fire in Malibu.  The photos were taken from Latigo Shore, Kanan and the Malibu Villas.  Look closely at the people trying to protect their homes with garden hoses... I probably shouldn't laugh, but it was so futile that it was funny.

I was forwarded the email belwo.  I read it, and for a second felt relieved; I felt that my woes were lifted and that I didn't really lose hundreds of thousands of dollars of equity in my current real estate investments.  But then, I thought again... I thought about the REALITY of the CURRENT REAL ESTATE MARKET, and the reality is:  The market has tanked, and it's only going to get worse from here.  Big real estate guru's are releasing propaganda in the form of positive reports of current market trends to try and keep people buying, but it's time we realize the severity of the situation.  It's time we realize that the average American's debt to income ratio is higher than ever.  It's time to realize that tens of thousands of employees are being laid off.  It's time to realize that the over-inflated real estate market has NO SUPPORT and is rapidly falling.  You decide for yourself, but I personally am taking action to prepare for the economic hardship ahead.

Price drops are sobering, but the big picture is still rosy...
By Kenneth R. Harney, Washington Post Writers Group
November 18, 2007

WASHINGTON -- With the daily din of bad news about housing, it's easy to lose sight of some larger economic realities: Despite declining prices in many markets, homeowners still control near-record equity holdings, just under $11 trillion.

In its latest quarterly "flow of funds" statistical report, the Federal Reserve calculated that U.S. homeowners' equity accounts totaled $10.9 trillion by mid-2007. That was the net difference between total mortgage debt ($10.1 trillion) and the total market value of residential real estate (about $21 trillion).

The second-quarter equity number was down about $6 billion from the first quarter of the year but was $48 billion higher than it was at the end of 2006.

In other words, there's no question that equity holdings have declined this year and may well be lower when the Fed issues its next quarterly report in mid-December. But in an $11-trillion marketplace, a $6-billion giveback in a cyclical correction is not a cause for panic.

A similar, localized reality affects dozens of metro markets that saw double-digit appreciation rates during the boom years. Prices are off 4.4% on average among 20 major markets covered by the latest Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index. But if prices more than doubled as they did in 33 metropolitan markets between 2001 and 2006, according to federal estimates, even 10% and higher average price drops in once-booming areas of California and Florida have left long-term owners with most of their paper gains intact.

Earlier this month, in the Fort Myers area of southwest Florida, where average home prices jumped 130% between 2001 and 2006, a taxi driver told me that he bought a house for $234,000 four years ago and turned down an offer for $439,000 in early 2006. Now he figures he can't get more than $379,000 for it -- a $60,000 drop in value in a year and a half. But he figures he's still ahead by $145,000 and has more than $150,000 in equity.

His estimates of gain may be optimistic -- he didn't factor in his costs of ownership, such as mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, improvements and the like. But his basic conclusion is probably correct. Even with the price declines that have racked the area, he's well ahead.

Similar stories are commonplace in many parts of the country, with two large exceptions: People who bought close to the peak of the boom -- and thus weren't in the house long enough to reap advantages from double-digit appreciation -- may now be in negative-equity territory. Add to that homeowners in unemployment-ravaged communities, especially in the industrial Midwest, where foreclosures are pulling entire neighborhoods' house values down and destroying equity built up over years.

Many of these stories affect consumers' perspectives on what's happening in housing. But as sobering as they are, they are not the predominant reality in real estate across the country.

For the vast majority of owners, the giveback has been a modest fraction of the price gains of the previous five years.

Citing Case-Shiller index data, Brian Catalde, president of the National Assn. of Home Builders, says home prices in Los Angeles fell 5.7% in the last 12 months but are up a net 88.9% since 2002.

Phoenix prices were down by 8% in 12 months, according to the Case-Shiller index, but were up by a net 80.2% between 2002 and 2007. And, of course, there are dozens of metropolitan home markets that never were touched by the boom's excesses and have not seen price drops at all.

Examples include Dallas, where homes gained by an average of just 17.8% in value during the boom years of 2001 to 2006, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's home price index. But from mid-2006 through mid-2007, Dallas house prices gained 5%. Add in swaths of the country from the Pacific Northwest to parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Rocky Mountain states where house prices continue to gain moderately, and you begin to see the bigger picture.

Bottom line: The housing price correction cycle continues in many -- not all -- parts of the country. But in the absence of a recession or major capital markets crisis, most homeowners' equity stakes are intact.
Have a great weekend and be safe.

Idiocracy is perhaps the most revealing, enlightening movie I've ever seen.  It speaks of truth and reality.  It is a fortune teller's warning of things to come.  Go to Blockbuster, or Netflix, or whatever... Rent it, watch it, realize it.

My cat (cleverly named "Kitty"... Kitty Powell that is...) and I have both been frequenting the doctor's office.  In fact, I have been to either the Veterinary's Office, or the Doctor's office, or both, every single day this week. 

The Veterinarian, Dr. Kane, at the Agoura Vet decided it would be a good idea to take an X-Ray of my cat to see if we can figure out what is wrong with her.  We didn't find anything, but I thought the X-Ray's looked neat and wanted to share them with everybody.  So here they are:

I have been pumping my cat with six different medications to try and help her get better.  We are even giving her Valium to try and stimulate her appetite... lucky pussy.

It' been very difficult to get any work done.  But anyways, hopefully my cat and I will get better so we can stop these visits. 

I recently moved to Agoura Hills from West Los Angeles, and I was a little bummed because I assumed that there were no rock climbing gyms out here.  I got into bouldering and top rope climbing about a year ago.  I love it so much that I even rented out the Rockreation climbing gym for my 25th birthday party.  It was truly extravagant.

I decided to do a little Google research, and found that there are actually a couple rock climbing gyms between Calabasas and Thousand Oaks.  I was specifically excited to discover the Boulderdash indoor climbing gym in Thousand Oaks because it is actually larger than the one I was used to climbing at - this place has over 10,000 square feet of climbing terrain, and check this out...

• The beginner climber area rises to 25' tall and is a great place to start. Don't worry, we have bigger walls for you to conquer. Facilities include dressing and locker area, soda/sport drinks and snacks, multi-purpose rooms, pro shop, restrooms, and complete gear rentals. 
• At 45' tall, the "prow" and "cave" climbing areas include slabs, arêtes and roofs and makes us the tallest indoor gym in Southern California and one of the tallest the country. We also have a dedicated rappel ledge for scouting events and private instruction. 
• 1,500 square feet of bouldering. 

I am looking forward to re-gaining my strength as a rock climber.  It's a truly rewarding sport.  When you climb some of these insane walls, you feel as though you are defying gravity, or accomplishing things that are not humanly possible.

Side note, I realized that nobody ever purchased www.rockreations.com, so I did...

Check out the gym online... www.boulderdashclimbing.com

I just applied for the American Express Plum Card for my business, Aixen Inc, and was approved.  It's a very interesting card because it offers 2% cash back on purchases if you pay your balance within ten days of the statement date, or you can choose to defer payment for two months if you are having a cash flow issue that month.  This is a great resource for small business owners like myself, so I am very happy to be getting one of these credit cards.  The cards is only being released to 10,000 accounts, so I feel a bit VIP - ish for getting approved :) And the best part of all, the credit card is PINK / PLUM colored! haha...

I was driving home from my marathon training and noticed an extra amount of traffic on the 101 freeway for a Saturday morning.  Sure enough, there was a car stalled in the fast lane.  So, as I have done many times before, I pulled in front of the car and put my hazards on with the intention of helping out.

As I approached the vehicle, I noticed something strange... the girl in the car was in some sort of colorful outfit.  When I reached the car, low and behold, the distraught girl was in full costume as Disney Snow White from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  No clue why she was dressed that way, our conversation didn't get very far.

The poor girl was clearly very upset and didn't know what to do.  I started talking to her, and the conversation quickly turned into a power therapy session.  Anyways, as I was instructing her on how we were going to get her car off the road, a police officer rolled up on his motorcycle.  He asked me, "Is there something wrong with your car?".  I answered, "No, I was trying to help the girl."  He scoldingly responded, "Get out of here."  Woa, relax buddy!  Apparently, I was a liability, so it was the officer's duty to get me "out of harms way."  So I left, taking with me the mystery never to be solved of who this girl was and why she was dressed as Snow White.  Any clues?

For those of you who have ever wanted to see an x-ray picture of my foot... here it is:

I suffered a minor injury in my marathon training and am currently undergoing physical therapy with Dr. Jeff Waldberg at Ortho Pro.  He is really great at identifying the problem with your injury and working out a solution to fast recovery.  He even filmed me running on a treadmill.  We reviewed the footage and he was able to point out running technique that I could change to prevent these sorts of injuries and improve my efficiency as a long distance runner.  I am working to get back on track with my training through the AIDS Marathon Foundation and AIDS Project LA. 

Check out my runner page if you want to donate.

I have recently become very fond of lentils for their nutritional value and their great taste!  They are so easy to prepare.  Simply boil them in water with some olive oil, salt, garlic salt and cayenne pepper.  They work as a great substitute for beans in burritos, and are even better if you boil them with some long grain brown rice.  Here is some information on a specific brand of lentils that is imported from France and is grown is the most specific way to guarantee quality healthy produce.  You can purchase them sometimes at the Pavilions grocery store, or online at Cyber Cucina.  They are a little pricey, but trust me, they are worth it.

Le Puy Green Lentils (AOC) by Sabarot

Green Lentils from Le Puy are a reknown specialty from the Haute-Loire region of France. Le Puy is located in Auvergne, a volcanic area in the center of France, with ideal soil and climate for the growth of the lentils. Le Puy Green Lentils are exclusively cultivated without fertilizers on the high plains of Velay.

Green Lentils from Le Puy are the first dry vegetable, and the only lentils, to obtain the AOC label (Appelation d'Origine Controlée). The AOC system of classification for French edible products is the most precise and highly developed system in the world for guaranteeing authenticity, quality and product origin.

Dried vegetables and legumes are known for their culinary and dietary properties. Green Lentils provide protein (without fat), fiber, minerals and are naturally poor in lipids. Next to soya beans, lentils have the highest protein content of all vegetables.

Le Puy Green Lentils are often hailed has the world's finest because of their robust and earthy flavor. They are exceptionally small and keep their shape and color when cooked. They have a green skin that is finer and their starch content is lower than other pulses.

Green Lentils from Le Puy are best when served warm as a side dish with salted pork or sausage. They are wonderful in soups and stews yet are equally at home in a delicate lentil salad.

As many of you know, I have recently embarked on a long journey for a great cause. Between now and March, I will run almost 500 miles in my training to prepare for running in the Los Angeles Marathon (a 26.2 mile race).

My mission in doing so is to help those in need. Los Angeles has one of the highest populations of AIDS victims in the United States, and thus, I have pledged to raise at least $1,500 by December 7, 2007, And I hope to raise a lot more!

Last weekend marked a huge step towards my goal of completing the marathon when I ran 14 miles - it is the farthest I have ever traveled on foot in one day! Sometimes it's difficult to think about running 26.2 miles, but I am almost half way there already, and I am really looking forward to overcoming the challenge.

I need your help in raising sponsorship money to donate to the AIDS Project Los Angeles to help those in need. If you are able, please take the time to visit my marathon web page to make a donation (see below). Every little bit helps, and it's tax deductible!

Thank you all for your support!!

Donation Web Page
http://aidsmarathon.org/participant.asp?runner=LA-3304&EventCode=LA08