Monthly Archive for May, 2007

Busy Week Indeed

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 30, 2007
in Bummer, Fun Stuff, Photos and Recentisms
. 4 Comments

Fish


Happy Belated Memorial Day to everyone.

It’s been an interesting few days for me. I’ll see if I can break it down with yet another list:

  • Attended a philosophy discussion about feminism.

  • Told a Chuck Norris joke about women and got a few chuckles out of that. The women rolled their eyes.

  • Woke up at 4:30am on Saturday to go fishin’ with my father and brother.

  • The only fish caught was by me, and it was a pathetic little one ‘bout the size of my palm.

  • Went to a skatepark and attempted to drop into a half-pipe for about 2 hours.

  • Never got it right because I kept bailing.

  • Went to a birthday party at Dave & Busters and then to a nightclub in Coconut Grove.

  • Arrived home after all the dancing around 5:30 am. I would wake up a few hours later for church.

  • Went to the beach with brother and friends with the intent to play basketball.

  • The basketball courts were packed so I played football instead. Scored all the touchdowns for my team.

  • My team lost.

  • Saw the latest UFC fight, where Ice Man Liddel was pounded into submission by Rampage Jackson.

  • Attended a jury summons.

  • Told the judge I disagreed with the law in question and that I believed in jury nullification.

  • I was not chosen as a juror.

  • Went to jiu-jitsu class and proceeded to get tapped out by every person I grappled with.

  • Caught some kind of throat infection with a mini-fever and had to leave work early.

  • Saw The Last King of Scotland.

That pretty much sums up the last few days. Some things good, some things bad. Interesting nonetheless, (even that is debatable).

Tired of America

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 25, 2007
in Music and Recentisms
. 1 Comment


Ever since my boy Ave hooked me up with Rufus Wainwright’s album Poses a few years ago, I’ve been hooked. He is an amazing singer with a voice that I can only describe as classical. The kind of voice you hear on stage in Broadway or at an opera. I had the privilege to see Wainwright perform at Coachella and introduced his music to both my cousin and brother. Here’s a song from his latest album Release The Stars. It’s called “Going To a Town”.

Goals and Gags

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 21, 2007
in Fun Stuff, Inspired and Video
. 3 Comments

I’ve been tweaking a few things here and there on the site. You will notice two new sections on the sidebar under the David Who? section. Click those to find out a little more about what’s going on in the ol’ Uribe noggin. This website is becoming therapeutic for me. Speaking of needing therapy… here’s a little video I did with my friend and co-worker Steph on our way back to the office after an errand. You will notice I needed a haircut, a good shave, braces, and some new shades. I have since accomplished all of the above. And Steph has since had her own braces removed (high five!). A lot has happened in 4 weeks. Anyways… enjoy.

The Summer Win

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 18, 2007
in Fun Stuff, Inspired and Recentisms
. 1 Comment

Ah the joys of summer. I’m getting back into the healthy habits I missed so much, even some new ones I’ve starting to maintain. Allow me to list them:

  • Declutter – I have way too much crap in my room and closets. It’s been fun to throw old papers out, magazines, worthless collections of plastic nonsense, and anything that falls under the miscellaneous category of my life.

  • Excercise – When the fall semester started getting real intense, this activity went out the window. I’ve gained some pounds in the past 3 months and now its time to reclaim my body. I’m making it a goal to run at least twice a week and hit up at least 3 martial arts classes per week. Today was boxing and I’m glad to say I sparred a good 6 rounds. If anybody wants to get a few games of basketball or paintball going, hit me up.

  • Focus – Going on my Social Networking sabbatical was a smart move. It made me realize that the world was doing just fine without me checking my messages every five seconds. Keeping track of everyone’s life is a full time distraction, and I’ve suffered because of it: professionally and spiritually. I no longer go to myspace or virb while I’m at work. Plus I deleted my facebook account. And I’ve turned off any instant messengers while I’m at the office as well. Now I can focus on the tasks at hand. Social sites are restricted to the evenings at home now, including any blogs that I subscribe to via Google Reader. Another rule I’ve set for myself… No turning on my home computer in the morning. Instead, I’ll use my time to excercise, pray, and do some Bible studying. Which brings me to my next habit…

  • Spiritual Walk – Church attendence is back in priority. I’ll be attending Sunday services, my Tuesday night prayer group, and Friday night philosophy discussions. So far I’ve actually been able to attend other church functions that I’ve been invited to, but for now it’s back to basics. Also, I’ve reserved my mornings for Bible reading. One psalm, one proverb chapter, and one New Testament chapter minimum. I can always read more if I’m so inclined, but I need to be consistent again.

  • Socialize - So far basketball, birthday parties, dinner, visiting my grandmother, and going to the movies have brought back a joy in my soul that I have been lacking for far too long. It’s time to get offline and in front of some smiling faces again. Planning on going to a concert? Traveling to Orlando for the weekend? Want to grab a cup of coffee? Interested in that new restaurant down the street? Hit me up. But let me know in advance. I’ve got a few social outtings lined up already.

  • Organize – One of the greatest mysteries for me has always been how my room manages to become a mess. I think I’ve figured it out. The room is evil and smarter than me. That, or the mess happens in small increments which in the moment seem to be unimportant. My biggest room-related problems have always included stacks of random papers, unopened mail, piles of clothes on (but not restricted to) the floor or bed, and cups. Tons and tons of cups. In fact, as I type this I can see one coffee cup taunting me from the top of my dresser. It, too, is evil. Well now I have a daily goal to get rid of all that crap from my presence. Before I go to bed, I make sure that junk mail is tossed, cups are put in the sink (maybe I’ll even wash it and put it away), fresh clothing is stacked or hung in the closet and dirty clothing is placed in the hamper. I can sleep better knowing my belongings won’t ambush me in the middle of the night.

  • Read – I’m a magazine kind of guy. It’s almost embarrassing to admit that. Books are uncomfortable for me at home because there isn’t a seat comfortable enough for me to read my book on. Reading in bed hurts my neck whether I’m laying down or sitting up. The living room couch is comfy but someone is usually watching spanish news which annoys the hell out of me. And reading in my back patio attracts too many flies. No sir, it’s audiobooks for me now. I’ve already gone through 4 books while driving to my weekly destinations: Teacher Man, Perelandra, The Great Divorce, and The Four Hour Work Week. My initial New Years resolution was to read 6 books this year. That will be a breeze at this rate. I may have to double my goal. I’ve downloaded all the books via Audible.com. And I’ve just found a FREE resource for classic literature in audio format. Librivox.com is your one-stop shop (hardly a shop when everything is free) for books and documents that are in the public domain. I have yet to download a book from here yet, but it should be fun to get a few classics under my belt. The Teaching Company also has some incredible lecture series on sale every season. I’m wrapping up Professor Patrick Grim’s Questions of Value series. Each 30-minute lecture is challenging and enlightening. Buy a series and get your mind muscles flexing.

  • Art – I’ve got time now to explore my artistic talents and ideas, especially with 2 new sketchbooks (thanks Nat and Steph). My goal is to fill them both up by the end of the summer. No excuses. Painting, drawing, collaging, nothing is too radical or simple for my sketchbooks. I also have my Munnys to finish creating. My first one is about 1/3rd finished. I’ll post pictures when he is done.

  • Goal Setting – Life is too short to allow it to slip out of your hands. I’m making travel plans, updating my life goals, listing languages I want to learn, writing down what I want to accomplish in the next 6 to 12 months, even reconsidering the kind of woman I want to marry. The Lord put an amibitious spirit inside of me. It’s time to feed it.

I think that sums up what my summer plans are for the moment. The next two months will be the most productive months of my life at this point. I’m excited go get the wheels spinning. Why haven’t you done the same?

Prayers, Parties, and Zombies

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 13, 2007
in Fun Stuff and Recentisms
. 1 Comment

It’s been an incredible week.

Rey and Brigitte came out to Broward with me to visit my grandmother at the beginning of the week. We prayed with her, shared a few stories, and even a few jokes. She did most of the joke-telling though. She was super delighted to meet these young people who had been praying for her all this time. There was a joy about her that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Thanks again, Rey and Breege.

I began reading the latest book by Tim Ferris called The Four Hour Workweek. I’m just a little past the halfway mark of this amazing book and it has begun to change the way I work and use my time. It has also inspired me to update my list of goals with some amazing fun filled ones. They include traveling the world, learning new languages, learning how to cook, buying some neat things, and even possibly starting a business. Yeah, it’s that good. I recommend it for any person who plans on living more than… oh… a day.

Yesterday I attended the birthday party of Kristel and Glennis. Had a blast catching up with the friends I hadn’t seen in over 2 months. You will remember that the last few weeks of school denied me of a social life. I feel like I made up for it on the dance floor and performing my annual broom-guitar solo for the Bohemian Rhapsody segment of the party. T’was a blast. Let me backtrack just for a moment. Prior to the party I met up with some of my homeboys in the Kendall area and we played a few rounds of basketball. I did my usual trash talkin’ but failed to deliver for three consecutive games. I blame it on the state of Florida. In the end, I only won the last game. It is the only game everyone will remember, which is why I’m happy. But I’m in terrible shape and I will begin excercising in the morning.

Today was Mother’s Day which called for some more celebrating. My entire family gathered at my aunt’s house for some delicious chinese catering. Mom got a beautiful gold locket from my brother and me and Grandma got a pair of lovely earrings. After the party I went to see 28 Weeks Later, which I’m recovering from at the moment. Good scary fun.

Tommorrow is another surprising gathering for my grandma. I’m really excited about it. If you’re interested in joining me and some friends drop me a comment. Good night!

Lazy Eye

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 8, 2007
in Music and Recentisms
. 5 Comments

Silversun Pickups


I’m really enjoying this song lately by the Silversun Pickups. It’s called Lazy Eye. Hit the play button below, won’t you?

California Trip 2007

Sketched
by
Dave
on May 7, 2007
in Fun Stuff, Photos and Recentisms
. 5 Comments

Alright. It’s taken me a while to gather all the photos and memories of last week’s trip. I wish I had my own laptop (a mac of course) and universal wi-fi access so I can make all these updates while I’m on the actual trip. I’m not big on writing too many details of the trip because there’s simply not enough brain cells in me to remember all of it. But I will list the highlights, starting with the bands I saw chronologically: Brother Ali, Comedians of Comedy (Not a band, but a traveling stand-up comedy show), Nickel Creek, Silversun Pickups, Arctic Monkeys, Rufus Wainwright, Interpol, Bjork, DJ Shadow, The Frames, Jack’s Mannequin, Peter Bjorn & John, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cornelius, The Rapture, Lupe Fiasco, The Coup, Explosions in the Sky, The Roots, Kaiser Chiefs, Cut Chemist, Air, and finally Rage Against The Machine.

People have asked me which was my favorite performance. I’ll boil it down to 5: Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, and Brother Ali. All these performers had amazing stage presence, energy, and an incredible sound. I wasn’t familiar with the music of the last two until I got there, but boy they had me itching for more.

It was definitely a lot to take in. The music was loud, the temperature was sizzling, the food was expensive, and the people were friendly.

Highlights of the trip include:

  • Mosh pits

  • Yummy carnival food

  • Fresh air

  • Meeting Cut Chemist

  • Shopping in San Francisco

  • Eating dim-sum in Chinatown

  • Cold water during the desert days

  • Baby powder

  • Nutri-grain bars and apple sauce

  • Spending time with Tony and Enrique

  • Laying on cold grass in the shade

  • Not having any stomach problems while in the desert

  • Talking music with other fans

  • Having a walkie-talkie during Coachella

  • Falling asleep under an 18-wheeler at noon

  • Sneaking into a nearby Best Western pool for 2 days straight

  • Taking my brand new sketchbook with me (Thanks Nat!)

Low moments of the trip include:

  • Unsuccessfully calling my brother’s walkie talkie for an hour

  • Making the same mistake to Tony on the next day

  • Sleeping on a thin sleeping bag

  • Porta Potties in the evening

  • Walking distance between the parking lot, the campgrounds, and the performance grounds

  • Having a police helicopter wake me up in the middle of the night as they threatened to arrest some campers

  • Stepping on dry horse turd

  • Smelling dry horse turd in the middle of the day

  • DJ Shadow’s set

  • Missing performances by Amy Winehouse, Damien Rice, Ozomati, Jose Gonzalez, Pharoahe Monch, Tokyo Police Club, Tilly and the Wall, and Regina Spektor

  • Hearing the sounds of Bus Driver while eating dinner

  • Not seeing Scarlet Johansen perform with The Jesus and Mary Chain

I hope next time we can gather a bigger group to join us on our coast-to-coast adventure. It was well worth the $700. And staying in San Francisco for 3 free days wasn’t bad either.