I Suck at GTA V

I'm having a blast playing the new Grand Theft Auto game, even though I'm horrible at it. I'll be posting some of my more embarrassing moments here via self-pics I take with the in-game cell phone. I'll be updating this entry as I take more pics, so stop in again soon.

The very first free-roam mission in GTA V was to drive a car. This is a selfie of me after I tried to do just that. Car didn't fare too well.

My car was handling weird, so I got out to take a look. Turns out I had somehow destroyed the right front tire.

Car was driving weird again (different car from last time, but that doesn't mean I was a better driver). Got out to look. Same thing. I'm horrible at this game.

I promise you, this one was an accident. There's a stunt ramp at the airport that I've been trying to perfect for I-don't-know how long, and no matter how many times I try it, it never works. I drive up the ramp, try to do a flip, and I always fail. Like this time, when my car actually landed on top of an airport employee. It was an accident and the cops got really super mad at me. I had time to snap this photo before they showed up and shot me to death.

(Updated 10/20/2013)

Dang it. Did it again.

(Updated later that night)

Doggonit.

(Updated 10/25/2013)

That's right, suckas. I got me a blimp. 

Q: Can you land a blimp on top of the FIB skyscraper?

A: Sort of.

Of course, you always run the risk of parking it in a way that you can't reach to get back in and you find yourself trapped on top of a skyscraper with no way down. Not that that happened to me or anything.

(Later that day)

So wait, let me get this straight...People don't like it when you stand in the middle of the street and take photos of random drivers? Ah, OK. Got it. (Please note that you can see the tread marks in the street from my blown-out tire that I continued to drive on)

(Updated 11/01/2013)

There was a traffic jam? Hm. Can't imagine why.

Yes, it's true, I have my shirt off, but why is this zombie looking at me like I'm the weird one?

I found a cop car in the middle of the street. I thought it was a trick, like that Bait Car show, and as soon as I hopped inside the cops would shoot me. I walked up to the car and nothing happened. I got in the car and sat there and nothing happened. I drove away and nothing happened.

So, for the next 20 minutes, I took off driving as fast as I could, never letting up on the throttle, and if I hit something I hit something. In my adventures, I found a policeman in a car on the side of the highway waiting for speeders to drive by. I parked the (now trashed) police car I was driving in front of him as a combination peace offering/smug "look what I did to a cop car" gesture. The policeman didn't do anything.

In a grand gesture of Circle of Life-ness, I returned the mostly-dead police car to the sea from whence it came.

Beautiful scenery. There's me, a swamp, the car I was driving on the bottom of the swamp, and the two rednecks who saw the whole thing happen. I was embarrassed.

Am I Sick? Absolutely.

Been pretty sick the last couple of days and this evening when I looked down at my pile of Kleenex and discarded Cepacol wrappers, it reminded me of something. So, of course, I had to do something with it.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 30

DAY 30 - A CONGRATS BANNER FOR FINISHING THE CHALLENGE

If you're a fan of Arrested Development, you'll get the joke here. If not...well...this probably seems anti-climactic.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 29

DAY 29 - A PLACE YOU WANT TO GO

One of these days...

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 28

DAY 28 - ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE

Anything I'd like? Wow...that's pretty broad. Well, I'd like to steal Gabe and Jenni Patillo's dog and give it to Sarah. How's that? 

Don't worry, Patillos, I won't.

But I'd like to.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 27

DAY 27 - SOMEONE YOU LOVE

I'm sure Jesus didn't look anything like this, but at least here he's smiling and seems somewhat approachable. I don't think we hear about that Jesus enough.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 26

DAY 26 - SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE

Come onnnnn, just let me watch it.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 25

DAY 25 - SCENERY

I didn't have anything in mind when I started this doodle, I just...started doodling. I'm going to say this is somewhere in Arizona. The only time I've been to Arizona, I was driving through it on my way to California and it was nighttime, so I don't know how close I am to the real thing. But this is what Arizona looks like in the daytime in my head. That's fair.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 24

DAY 24 - A COUPLE

When Sarah and I first got to know Tyler and Monica, we were attending the same church. We invited them to our weekly "TV Tuesday" when, at the time, a group of us got together to watch "LOST." We began from the very first season so those who hadn't already started in wouldn't be left behind and soon, after watching one DVD a night (usually 3 or 4 episodes) we were all caught up.

After a few weeks Sarah and I noticed that Tyler and Monica were sitting together and one night in particular I spotted them holding hands. That's been a few years now and it's hard to remember them not together. They're an amazing pair of people and Sarah and I love being with them. They're fun (and funny), they love to laugh, they have great senses of humor, and it is sometimes infuriating that I cannot beat either one of them at Mario Kart.

Ty and Monica are getting married in July and just thinking of two people as awesome as they are being together forever... It's nice.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 23

DAY 23 - SOMETHING YOU NEED

The lovely coffee bean.

Plain and simple, people, I need coffee. You don't understand. I need coffee. I would write more, but just thinking about it... yeah... I'm gonna need to go brew another pot.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 22

DAY 22 - SOMETHING YOU MISS

Earlier this year Sarah and I visited Nashville. We stayed with our  friends Gabe and Jenni (check out her blog here) and their precious daughter Amara. They were amazing hosts. Sarah had never been to the Music City area before and the Patillos knew the best places to take her to eat (Sarah's primary love language is food so of course she had the time of her life). Ever since we've returned to Pennsylvania, we've mentioned on more than a few occasions how much we miss not just that area of the country, but those really dear friends of ours, the Patillos.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 21

DAY 21 - SOMETHING YOU WANT

I'm pretty content with life and there aren't a lot of things I want. But getting a letter like this in the mail sure would be nice.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 20

DAY 20 - SOMETHING ORANGE

Sure, the obvious choice would be to doodle an orange, but the first thing I thought of was one of the very first CDs I bought. It was 1992 and I had just moved to California. I bought my very first CD player (granted, even then I was a little late on keeping up with technology) and I had joined the Columbia House record club. One of the CDs I ordered in my 12-for-a-penny bundle was Very, a release by the Pet Shop Boys that came in an orange plastic jewel case that had raised circles on the front. Pretty cool, and great music to listen to while playing Sonic on your Sega Genesis.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 19

DAY 19 - SOMETHING NEW

If you haven't heard of Pete Holmes, now you have no excuse. I first learned of him back in early 2012 when I wrote a review of his album for my Comedy Reviews blog. Pete is back with a brand new album ("Nice Try, The Devil") and I love it. As a result, I had to doodle my own rendition of the cover art, complete with a beard made of candy sprinkles.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 18

DAY 18 - JUST A DOODLE

The Sketch Club app makes it fun to doodle, I gotta admit. As I go further along in this 30-day challenge, I'm learning to love this app more and more.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 17

DAY 17 - FAVORITE PLANT

I don't really have a favorite plant, but as far as taking care of one and keeping it alive, it doesn't get much easier than a cactus. Forgot to water it for 4 months? No problem.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 16

DAY 16 - INSPIRATION

There's nothing quite like the feeling of making people laugh.

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 15

DAY 15 - FAMILY PICTURE

I'm sure the cat would not approve of how I doodled her.

 

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 14

DAY 14 - FAVORITE FAIRY TALE

It was tricky trying to think of my favorite fairy tale, mostly because shows like Once Upon A Time have taken them all and squeezed all the life out of them. Still, I recall as a child having a picture book of Rumpelstiltskin that fascinated me. What's not to love about a tricky trickster who could turn straw into gold? Also, I recall being intrigued by the artwork. I don't know who the artist was, but as I recall it was very much in the style of Edward Gorey.

*NOTE. On a whim, I Googled "edward gorey rumpelstiltskin" and, as it turns out, it was him! I found images from the very book I was thinking of and it really brought me back. Another testament to how good art can stick with you throughout the years.

 

30 Day Drawing Challenge – Day 13

DAY 13 - COMIC

Wait. By "comic" do they mean comic strip? Cartoon? Stand-up comedian? And if they mean a stand-up comic, how do I possibly choose one? So I went with my favorite comic strip. It was a much easier decision.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 12

DAY 12 - MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT

I know it's not saving a baby from a burning trailer home or passing legislation that makes it OK for you to demand cotton candy from policemen on sight but I have to be honest: I felt good when I beat Far Cry 3.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 11

DAY 11 - TURNING POINT IN YOUR LIFE

This one was easy. It was the day I walked into BrewDaily's Cafe.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 10

DAY 10 - FAVORITE CANDY

Good & Plenty. Yes, please.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 9

DAY 9 - FAVORITE TV SHOW

This was a tough one to decide on. At first.

I'm such a big fan of TV and there have been so many great shows I've called my favorite. The Muppet Show was an early one. Then Moonlighting. Seinfeld. Friends. Arrested Development. Lost. Community (first 3 seasons only)...

But then I realized the show I've watched and loved the entire time the thrill of all the others I mentioned came (and went) was SNL. When that light went on, I knew there could be no other choice.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 8

DAY 8 - FAVORITE ANIMATED CHARACTER

Karl Pilkington in the animated HBO series, The Ricky Gervais Show. If you've ever seen it or the Idiot Abroad series or heard Ricky's podcasts or radio show, you'll understand.

This doodle was especially fun to draw and create and I love the Layers feature of the Sketch Club app (nothing new to those of you who use Photoshop, but I never have so this is a first-time for me. Lay off).

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 7

DAY 7 - FAVORITE WORD

If you thought my favorite word was going to be anything but this, you don't know me that well.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 6

DAY 6 - FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER (CAN'T BE A MOVIE)

This one was a bit tougher because the "can't be a movie" stipulation pretty much ruled out all of my favorite books (and my initial choice, Sherlock Holmes). So, I went with the title character in the Edgar Allen Poe poem, "Annabel Lee." It's beautiful and haunting and I still love it as much as I did the first time I stumbled upon it in my high school library.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 5

DAY 5 - BEST FRIEND

Well, who else would it be? I'm still getting used to working with the Sketch Club app so I went with a doodle of Sarah that sort of obscures her face a bit to help me cheat and bend my lack of skill at doodling on an iPad in my favor.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 4

DAY 4 - FAVORITE PLACE

This one was tough, but it didn't take me long to settle on Ireland. After some serious debate on which of the Collins family pubs in Adare to go with, I decided to split the difference and go with the Cliffs of Moher, a truly breathtaking site to behold.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 3

DAY 3 - FAVORITE FOOD

I didn't even hesitate on this one. Without a doubt, my favorite food is your basic meal at In-N-Out. End of story.

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Day 2

DAY 2 - FAVORITE ANIMAL

30 Day Drawing Challenge

I stole this idea from Jorge Garcia's blog.

I also stole from Jorge the idea of doing all of my drawings with the Sketch Club app. I've never used this app before, so bear with me. Feel free to take the challenge yourself. It should be fun!

So, here it is, Day 1: Yourself

2-Minute Ghost

Yesterday Sarah and I were watching one of those TV programs about ghosts and UFOs. The concept of the show is they find compelling "evidence" of unexplained phenomena (usually a YouTube video) and then they try to explain it. The way they go about it, though, is a little time-consuming and probably quite expensive.

In one case, they were studying a piece of footage shot on the Queen Mary, a huge ship in California. According to the guy who filmed the video, he just happened to set his Flip camera down, didn't realize it was filming, and they caught a vision of a ghost walking down the hall. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was fake, but these guys had to figure out just how in the world was it done?

Before you could say the words "editing effects" they were there trying to re-create how in the world it happened. They filmed someone walking in front of a black sheet. Then they brought in a fog machine and filled the hallway with smoke. Then they brought in a movie projector and projected the image of the walking guy onto the smoke.

Gee, darn, that wasn't it.

So then they took one of those pieces of teleprompter glass politicians use to read their speeches in public and sat that in front of the video camera. Then they projected the image of the walking man onto the glass and the image was captured by the camera.

Success!!

Seriously? This filled up 30 minutes?

As they were revealing their findings, they very quickly, in one throwaway line, said, "We were also able to recreate it with video editing," and then they went on to re-cap the extensive lengths they took to re-create this stunning piece of video.

I don't know how long it took them to set up, shoot, tear down, set up, shoot, and tear down again. I do, however, know this: I shot this video with my Flip cam and got identical results. From the point I started shooting to the time I was finished rendering the final video, it was two and a half minutes.

Next time, guys, just call me first.

Back in March of 2005, I decided to compile a list of my (and my friends') favorite Mexican restaurants. I sent out an email blast to all of my contacts asking them to send me their favorite place to grab a South-of-the-Border bite. Seeing how eight years has passed, I'm going to assume no one else would like to submit their choice.

Actually, I just stumbled across this file and had forgotten all about it. I don't know what I had planned to do with it, but here it is. Some of the places are no longer in business, but that's OK. I feel they should still get their due respect.

Feel free to comment with your pick for favorite Mexican restaurant!

THE BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS

 Abuelo’s - Dallas, Hiway 121 in Beford, just east of Ft. Worth.

• Huge portions. Great vibe. Pricey. (Chris Hauser)

Anna’s Taqueria - Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts

• It is the only authentic Mexican food in that state as far as I am concerned being a native of Southern California, so believe me when I say that the search for some real Mexican food was hard till I came across this place while on a date.  It is not a chain, however, the owner now has 3 in the area.  There are 2 in Boston/Brookline, MA area and 1 in Cambridge, MA.  You can just say the location is Boston, MA if you want though.  Each time I go back to visit Boston I get one meal their no matter what.  In some cases I think it is even better than some California places.  Now that is saying a lot! (Melissa Ke)

BENITO’S - Los Angeles CA

• I was on a promotional radio trip with artist Paul Wright. We had spent the day in San Diego visiting friends at radio stations and had decided to run south of the border…just to say that we did it. We made it across and back without incident and raced back to Beverly Hills in time to catch a showing of “A Mighty Wind.” On our drive back to our Hermosa Beach hotel, it was late and we were famished. Soon, Paul spotted a sign advertising “24-hour Burritos” and we had to stop. I don’t know if it was because we were so starving and tired or what, but the food there was amazing. The next time you’re in the City of Angels and have some serious late-night hunger pang’s, you know where to go. (Ed Placencia)

BURRITO BOY - Eugene, OR

• Can't beat it!  Get the carne asada w/ nachos just cheese. (Paul Wright)

BURRITO WAGON - San Luis Obispo CA

• Ah…the Burrito Wagon. In a word: AMAZING. Paul Wright and I were visiting a radio station in San Luis Obispo and we left right around the noon hour. Paul and I had made a pact between ourselves to only eat at Mexican restaurants while we were in Sunny Cal. I mean, why not? The folks at the station had given us two options, one of them being Burrito Wagon. I forget the other. Need I say more? One thing that stood out was the service. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with a smile like we were old friends. After placing our order, we found The Wall of Postcards. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones that left the Burrito Wagon with a good impression.  Postcards from literally around the world had been sent in, telling the Burrito Wagon what an excellent time they had dining there. We ate on the back porch that overlooks a small stream and is very cozy. The food came out to us and the portions were amazing. Just the way we like it. When in San Luis Obispo, the Burrito Wagon is a must!! (Ed Placencia)

Casa Bonita - Denver, CO

• I remember it from living in Denver from '82-'85.  And I absolutely laughed my ass off when SOUTHPARK did an episode where Cartman went to great lengths to get Kyle to invite him to join his family for a birthday dinner at Denver's Casa Bonita.  It's weird when a worldwide famous cartoon depicts a real place that you've actually been too.  I was rolling.  It has the Black Caves or some kind of dufus haunted house like playground for the kids, plus a cliff diver who dives into this makeshift lagoon from a 30-40 foot waterfall.  I LOVED it as a kid... and so did Cartman. (Ed Doney)

Casa de Bandini - Olde Towne, San Diego, California

• Impeccable atmosphere, soothing patio w/ coolers in the hot summer and heaters in cooler months of SoCal.  Beautiful fountains.  Authenic Mexican & courteous wait staff.  Tasteful band. And I haven't even spoken of the food...Perfect, perfect, perfect... and the guac. is to die for! (Val Hoback)

Casa de Maria - Anaheim CA

• There is a very good Mexican restaurant across the street from Anaheim stadium called "Casa de Maria." (John Placencia)

Casa de Miguel - Lancaster CA

• Very excellent! (John Placencia)

Casa Fiesta - Nashville, TN, Bell Road by Super 8

• I love [it] because on birthdays they shove sundaes in your face. (Anne Marie Tucker)

Casa Fiesta - Columbus, OH

• My favorite Mexican restaurant in located in Columbus Ohio. It was called Casa Fiesta. It is now called El Acapulco. It was less than 5 min from work, so I have had many a lunch in their booths. (Lorien Boyer)

Casa Jose - Arlingtin, Tx.

• Recently burned down. Quality had been slipping but I ate authentic mexican food there since 1982. (Mike Walker)

Chez Jose - Nashville, TN

• The best healthy Mexican food I’ve ever had! How can a humongous Mexico City Burrito be good for you? Visit Chez Jose on Elliston Place in Nashville and find out! Don’t forget the fire red salsa for chips and as condiment. (Derek Jones)

Don Juan’s - Lakewood, CO

• We pronounced it Don Joo-on's to make fun of our Illinois-bred lack of cultural. Anyway, they're famous for their tortilla soup.  I liked their hamburgers.  Yes, I was a stubborn 12 year old who wouldn't venture out into the world of mexican cuisine... it was HAMBURGERS OR NOTHING!  F*** YOU WORLD FOR DEMANDING THAT I ORDER MEXICAN AT A MEXICAN RESTAURANT! Oh, but their chips and salsa kicked ass. (Ed Doney)

El Burrito, Jr - Redondo Beach, CA

• I love it, been going since high school.  It's a little hut of a place, but really awesome food. (Melissa Ke)

El Farralito - Concord, CA

• It’s a hole-in-the-wall called “el farralito” (Which, I think, means little light or little lighthouse. This is only odd in that the restaurant is located in Concord, Ca, which is roughly 45 minutes from the water ) The food is definitely authentic, (though a few of its more popular items have been influenced by California and now include avocado) the English is definitely broken and I am definitely there about once a month. (Justin McRoberts)

El Mariachi - Nashville TN, Thompson Lane

• It is really good! (Anne Marie Tucker)

El Rancherito - on the 3800 block of Main Street, East Chicago, Indiana.

• They have the best carne asada tacos, guacamole and anything you can name. (Bobby Pena)

El Serrano's - Lancaster PA

• They have the best Grande Burrito - YUM!! (Ann D’Alessandro)

Iguana Mia - Ft. Myers Beach, FL

•  Our waitress’s name was Alejandra. Kevin [my husband] asked if the meal he was ordering was big enough to fill a man of his size (6'3 210lbs.) and with no expression on her face or excitement in her voice she said, "Sure." When his meal came it was on the biggest platter we had ever seen in our lives--NO JOKE--and the waitress asked if the meal was enough and Kevin said it was more than enough--he finished the meal leaving no morsel behind but he was miserable the rest of the night--he rates it as being the best Mexican food he has ever had. (Denisa Geeting)

Juan’s Flying Burrito - New Orleans, LA

• My favorite place to eat Mexican (not Mexican't) HAS to be Juan's Flying Burrito. While I prefer the Magazine Street location, the newer Mid-City stop tends to have the special "fish tacos" a bit more often. I know they sound grody, but trust me. They are the greatest. Mmm. And check out the "gutter punk" special... (Libby Krimsier)

La Hacienda Tacqueria - Nashville, TN on Nolensville Rd. next to Phono-Luxe.

• Very cheap. Very authentic. Lotsa cilantro. (Chris Hauser)

Las Palmas - Cool Springs, TN

• That’s the best. (Chico Gonzalez)

La Terezzas - Nashville, TN on the corner of Old Hickory and Nolensville, next to Kroger

• [It] is the BOMB-DIDDY. I'm sure Hauser and others have submitted some of the other restaurants in town, but they PALE in comparison to the chow at this place. And their prices are outstanding - portions are HUGE as well. From a guy who eats Mexican food way too much and has been to just about every place in Nashville ... this place rocks. (Rick Welke)

Los Nopales Mexican Restaurant - 1014 Hogansville Road La Grange, GA

• For me los nopales is the quintessential Mexican restaurant. I guess it's because I grew up going there, and I can remember when it was just a hole in the wall place. Now that I think about it, it was the location of my first date when I was sweet sixteen! It's in my hometown of LaGrange, GA and it is as authentic as they come. The servers barely speak English. The queso dip is white (not some orange don Pablo’s hybrid Velveeta version that you could make for yourself much better at home). I think the owners must have come straight from Mexico and it has wonderful food. Having been to Mexico several times myself in life, I think I can safely say this place is the real deal. Here's my story. As previously mentioned, my first real date took me there. He was a senior and I was a junior. Appropriately enough we met in Spanish class and became friends because basically he was hilarious. Two of our friends played a part in letting it be known to the two of us that we were interested in each other. They were giddy with delight that we were going on a date. Please note that Lagrange, GA is a very very small town. We got to los nopales and sat down. We were in that awkward moment of "we are friends but now we are on a date". So we certainly didn't need any added awkwardness. But it came. Oh it came. Moments later our friends that had "fixed us up" from Spanish class came in and as luck would have it, were seated right in the booth right behind us. So I had a giggling audience for my first date, but it was certainly fun. The dating relationship didn't last but los nopales still has the best Mexican food I’ve ever had (outside Mexico). (Meridith Long)

Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant - Nashville TN on Murphreesboro Rd. about a half mile from I-24.

• Why? Because it's simply TOO good NOT to be in California or Texas. How it landed in Music City, I have no idea... How I found it: I was eating at Las Palmas (on Charlotte Avenue) about ten years ago and asked the waiter where I could find the best "real" Mexican food. He asked what I meant, and I said, "You know, a place that actually serves a lingua (beef tongue) burrito." He then gave me a knowing look and reached into his back pocket to produce a business card for Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant (located on Nolensville Road in those days). (Jay Swartzendruber)

Los Reyes - Atlanta GA

• Pretty special. (Anne Marie Tukcer)

Marquez Bakery - Arlington, Tx.  

• Great pastries.  Great sauce and excellent tamales.  Breakfast chorrizo and huevos rancherous really really good.  I give it a 3 thumbs up. (Mike Walker)

Mexican Villa - Springfield, MO

• It’s off the hook. (Jeff Jackson)

Molly's La Casita - Memphis, TN.  

• It's located on Madison Avenue, right next to Ardent Studios, where Clear recorded several times.  The food is very good, but what keeps me coming back is the refried beans.  They are absolutely amazing.  Salty, greasy, unhealthy, but so delicious. . (Nate Larson)

Morrison Inn - Morrison, CO

• THEN.... THERE'S PERHAPS THE GREATEST CHIPS AND SALSA IN THE WORLD..... The Morrison Inn just outside of Denver (the town of Morrison, I believe).  That shit will melt your mouth like lava... and yet you CAN'T STOP EATING IT.  IT'S LIKE COCAINE FOR A ROCK STAR... YOU KNOW IT'S KILLING YOU, BUT YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE FOR JUST ONE MORE BITE. F***! (Ed Doney)

Old Town Mexican Café - San Diego CA

• My favorite Mexican Restaurant is Old Town Mexican Cafe in San Diego (of course!)  It's very authentic, and they have window where you can watch women hand-make tortillas - yummy! (Linda Spuck)

Pappasito’s - Houston

• Part of the Pappas family of restaurants – the Mexican side of it. Huger portions, costly but worth it! (Chris Hauser)

Placencia’s - Garrett, IN

• Their salsa rocks. I like salsa that is not so chunky and it is perfect. It sticks to the chip just right. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. (Todd Sattison)

Poncho Kelly’s - Auburn, IN

• Their salsa rocks. I like salsa that is not so chunky and it is perfect. It sticks to the chip just right. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. (Todd Sattison)

The Rustin House - Lancaster CA

• Excellent! (John Placencia)

San Antonio Zoo

• There is a little shack on the San Antonio ZOO grounds that is out of this world. (Pete Orta)

Senorita Burrita - Lancaster PA

• My favorite Mexican Restaurant is Senorita Burrita, a fairly new establishment in the heart of downtown Lancaster.  It is run by Jen Foster - a former Christian Musician and member of the band Scarlet Thread.  She has cool names for her burritos named after family members, local sights, etc.  You can also pick your own burrito and make your own.  The restaurant has a cool vibe and atmosphere with tile tables that Jen and her friends made, antiques, art on the walls and alot of iron and metal finishes that her brother Eric worked on. (Fred McNaughton)

Taqueria 17 - Houston, TX

• I also really liked a taqueria in Houston (I think it was called Taqueria 17) but it's been so long since I've been there I don't know if still exists.  It was off of Washington somewhere.  Very good and the real deal as far as authentic goes. (Mike Walker)

Taqueria Mexico - Charlotte, NC

• Taqueria Mexico  Charlotte, Nc. on South Blvd.  Great sauce, hot and mild, great choices, plain tacos are excellent as are several pork specialties. (Mike Walker)

Ted’s Escondido - Oklahoma City, OK

• It’s in Oklahoma City and is so popular that it doesn’t matter what time you go you will have to wait 2 hours to be seated.  The salsa is amazing and so are the fajita’s...I think it’s been around for 20 years or something like that.  It is a household name for authentic Mexican cuisine in OKC. (Jerusha Ghazanfari)

• My Favorite Mexican Restaurant is in Oklahoma City, OK and it is named "Ted's Escondido". The food is about the best Mexican I have had and the service is great. Whenever I have gone with my family it has always been a wonderful experience. Just thinking about it right now makes my mouth water! (smile) I really like their flour tortillas and that is what makes their fajitas melt in your mouth. The restaurant is owned by Christians and I have heard that they treat their employees really well. (Joacquin Stevens)

A Fly in the Ointment

Every once in a while I think back to my stint as a radio promotions manager at a Christian record label in Nashville. It's a job that, although somewhat important in your radio-listening experience, is one that most people probably don't even realize exists. Basically  I would call or email every radio station each week and try to get them to play the current singles by the artists on our label. I only worked at the label for two years, which is nothing compared to the others I know in the field doing the same thing, but it's a slice of my life that left a strong impact.

The hardest part for me was hearing the music director at a radio station say "No." I knew it was never personal but it always killed me a little bit because I believed so much in the music the label was putting out at the time. I never had to fake it and I genuinely liked and listened to (and still do) what we were promoting. What was hard for me was they were saying no to people I genuinely cared for, musicians who really were at the top of their game. I still get a little sad when a song pops up in my iPod that I thought was going to tear up the charts but never did for one reason or another. (I realize this makes it sound like we never got any airplay but that's far from the case. We did have some nice success with some songs I really loved, but like Jerry Seinfeld once said, he could have 999 people laughing, cheering, and applauding but the only one he'll remember after the show is the 1 person who just sat there. Why do we do that?).

Despite how much fun I had at the label and how many close friends I made whom I still keep in touch with today, there's one memory that always bubbles to the surface that to this day I still find unsettling/surprising/disappointing. I was on the phone with the rep from a pretty big station in the South. They were a heavy hitter and they knew it and it was always really difficult to get them on the phone (even when I called during their designated "tracking hours"). When I would finally catch him, he always talked to me like I was wasting his time and wasn't worthy of actually speaking to him. This behavior always sort of puzzled me, especially since the songs they were playing were the ultra-cheesy, snooze-inducing cookie cutter songs most people who don't listen to Christian music think of when they think of listening to Christian music.

One day I finally caught the music director while he was in his office taking calls and I asked if he'd listened to the new single from (I forget which artist)  I had sent to him. He said he had and that it was nice. I asked him if he thought he would be adding it to the station's music rotation and he responded by asking me how much money the label was going to give him to do so. It threw me for a loop and sort of took me back for a second, mostly because although a lot of listener-supported stations get a lot of exemptions, I was pretty sure payola was still illegal for everyone.

I honestly thought the man was joking, but he wasn't. I remember telling him all we had to offer was really good music and he simply thanked me and hung up. He never took a call from me again and it was a long time after that before they would play a song by any artist from our label.

That incident still blows my mind today. It's still incredible to me that someone saw themselves as so big and powerful and influential, they felt it was completely within their rights to be so blatantly...illegal. And douche-y. It poisoned my perception not of the music industry, but of the Christian music industry and I know that's not fair.

I should point out this was the only station I dealt with to ever do anything remotely like this. The very large majority of the stations I dealt with were very cool people. Still...sometimes it just takes one person to wreck the fun. It's sort of a bummer that, of all the nice people I dealt with and were kind to me and played our music, that guy is the one I always remember when I look back. I resent that guy not only for denying airtime to some great artists but also for still having such a strong place in my memory.

I'lll Never Tell

I had the oddest dream today when Sarah and I fell asleep on the couch.

We were in Ireland with a couple of our friends. We were in a small town during some sort of Heritage Days celebration. We were standing on an old stone bridge that overlooked a small section of town and were surrounded by people whom I somehow knew were local celebrities (but of course since we weren't from the area, I had no idea who any of them were).

Pretty soon a parade came marching through the village - and under the bridge on which we were standing - and it stopped momentarily. A girl in the parade with hair so red it made her look like a real-life version of the girl from Brave began singing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and everyone was indeed smiling and clapping.

When she finished, the parade continued on and the crowd began to disperse. One of our friends bent over to tie her shoe and when she did, a strange guy who looked like Colin Firth in his 20s walked up to her and began rubbing her head. She was wearing her hair pulled back in a kerchief and the guy cooed, "Aye, you have the hair of an old woman."

He said it like he was saying the most lovely poem in the world but our friend just stood up slowly and glared at him. None of us said anything mostly because we had no idea what to say. Our friend held the Death Look for a few seconds - but the awkwardness of the situation made it feel like a few hours - and then the dream ended.

Upon waking, I told Sarah about it and she said, "Don't ever tell her you dreamed that."

I'm not sure why I'm not supposed to say anything. I thought it was funny and random and figured our friend would get a kick out of it because she most definitely doesn't have old lady hair.

So I'm not saying who it is and now all of our female friends can wonder and be self-conscious and if you ask me if it was you I will just smile and say, "I don't know."

PS. I can't tell you how nice it was to be in Ireland again, even though I really wasn't there. But just thinking I was there made me super happy and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. So, you know, hint-hint Irish employers looking to hire and re-locate  Americans for cool jobs.

Disturbing (Finally)

The following Letter to the Editor from Kate Luhr in Los Angeles, CA appears in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

It appears I'm the lone person on earth who hated Silver Linings Playbook. But I found the age difference between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence disturbing...

She goes on, but I thought her opening statement was pretty funny and couldn't help respond. I doubt it'll get printed and, if it does, in its entirety, so I thought I'd share my full thoughts here with you. Enjoy.

My wife and I always thought we were regular people. Sure, we both like to be a bit goofy at times but for the most part, we're just your average, happily married couple from smalltown Indiana now living in Amish Country, PA. She likes to Zumba, I like to listen to standup comedy. She's a laser tag enthusiast and I like playing Mario Kart. Every Tuesday we have friends over to watch our favorite TV shows (everything from "An Idiot Abroad" and the 7 Up Series to "New Girl" and "Impractical  Jokers") and once a month we have Spielberg Saturdays, where we watch one of his films and prepare food themed to the movie (this month is Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, which means a lot of creative food choices).

We've been married nearly six years and we couldn't be happier.

Oh yea, and we're also 13 years apart. No biggie, and most people are surprised when they hear it, but it's true. It sounds like a lot but it's never really come into play or been a hurdle. It probably helps that I don't act my age and she knows a lot about movies from the 70s and 80s.

We both got a kick out of Kate Luhr's letter to the editor (Feedback, #1243/1244) where she mentioned the age difference between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook as "disturbing." They're 15 years apart, only 2 years more than my wife and me, and I couldn't help but feel happy. We're just a couple of regular people and to think  our relationship could "disturb" someone based solely on how old we are...it's kind of a cool accomplishment.

Of course, we wish Ms. Luhr and her age-appropriate significant other nothing but the best.

Ed Placencia

Fake Men in Black

An Actual Conversation I Had With A Fellow Extra On the Set of "Veep" Yesterday

A big part of working as an extra on a movie or TV set is waiting. Go here. Wait. Go there. Wait. It's just part of the drill. There was a guy yesterday whom I suspect was unfamiliar with the experience and wanted something to happen NOW. And he wanted someone to vent to. Now. I was that someone.

Him: I know what's taking so long. One of the guys playing a Secret Service guy said that Julia Louis-Dreyfus isn't even here yet!

Me: She's here. I saw her a couple of hours ago.

Him: No. (gestures to the table of extras dressed in black suits) The Secret Service said she's not here.

Me: I saw her this morning on the set. She stuck her head in to say hello to some people and then I passed her on the street about an hour ago when I was coming back to the holding area.

Him: (a bit upset that I wasn't agreeing with him) No. The Secret Service guys said she's not even here.

Me: Those aren't real Secret Service guys. You do realize we're not really Senators, right?

A Nice Weekend with Friends

When the TV show "Friends" first debuted (yes, I was watching from Day 1) it clicked with me immediately. As someone who's always been a people person, it came at a timewhen I didn't have a huge circle of buds in my immediate area. I was living in California at the time and didn't know many people. For a self-declared "people person," I'm not incredibly outgoing when I find myself among strangers. And so, at a time when my only contact with my friends and family back home was via a long-distance call or snail mail (I still can't believe I lived in a time without email or cell phones), hanging out with fictional friends once a week was an easy sell for me.

Fast-forward a couple of decades and it's no surprise that I'm a big fan of "Community." True, it's got some of the wittiest writing and acting on TV (that apparently no one but me watches), but it also has that communal vibe that clicks with me so well.

Today in the car, Sarah was commenting on how many people I still keep in touch with considering how many different places I've lived. We were coming back from visiting with a friend of mine who lives a few states away and was in town for a short bit. It was Sarah's first time meeting him and we had a lot of fun sitting in Red Robin talking, laughing, and making each other laugh.

This weekend we got to get together with a bunch of other friends from a variety of walks of life and tonight as things were winding down (and by winding down I mean hanging out in the living room watching Sarah choreograph Zumba Christmas songs) I got to share some nice exchanges with some pals online.

This weekend was a nice opportunity not only to spend time with some really cool people in a variety of different ways, but also to take a step back and appreciate those people in our lives. Not too shabby.

A Good Week For TV

The networks have been rolling out a lot of their new shows this week (or, after playing a sneak preview of the premiere a few weeks ago, re-rolling them out) and I've been pleasantly surprised by how many of them I'll continue to DVR (which is pretty much all of them that Entertainment Weekly gave me the heads up on). In case you missed them, here are some new shows I recommend. I'm pretty much sticking to new shows in this post, as I've already raved enough about Community and Breaking Bad (or maybe not enough, seeing as how Community continues to flounder no matter how much I try to get people on board. But if you wanna wait until after the show is cancelled and then find it on Netflix and rave about the "new" show you found like you did with Arrested Development, go right ahead).

So, here's what's new that we're enjoying. As always, feel free to leave your new favorites in the comments below.

Monday

• 10pm - Revolution (NBC)
  I'm still not convinced this is going to fill the hole in my heart left by Lost, but I found it engaging enough to stick around.

Tuesday

• 8:30 - Ben and Kate (FOX)
  I laughed out loud numerous times. Smart and clever, this show will probably be cancelled within a season. I hope not, but that's what happens to all the good ones.


• 9:00 - Go On (NBC)
  Slightly better than the last Matthew Perry vehicle, and I get a kick out of seeing the kid from Everybody Hates Chris.


• 10:00 - Vegas (CBS)
  Dennis Quaid kicking gangster butt as a cowboy in the 60s? Who wouldn't wanna see that? Or so I thought. Watching it, I felt like an old lady watching Murder She Wrote. I'll give it another week to get as awesome as I wanted it to be, or I'm outtie.

Wednesday

• 8:00 - Animal Practice (NBC)
  I can't help but feel that the Bobby Lee character is basically Chang 2.0, but the monkey is funny.


• 9:30 - The Neighbors (ABC)
  Fun and funny, a nice mix of whimsy and sci-fi. Plus, it has Doug Jones in it.

Thursday

• 8:00 - Last Resort (ABC)
  This is the only one that EW didn't really rave about, but judging from the previews (and my pal Nick) I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did.


• 10:00 - Elementary (CBS)
  A nice take on the characters of Holmes & Watson with plenty of wry wit and Sherlockian observations to keep Doyle fans like me happy.

The only show we recorded and subsequently removed from our DVR was Guys with Kids (hellooo, laugh track).

I'm still waiting for Sunday, which will bring us the premiere of 666 Park Avenue mostly because I miss John Locke.

Instructions Below

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

Not that there's anything particularly funny about the photo, but I do enjoy the How-To-Make-A-Newspaper caption template.

Tool Time

There's a guy I run into around town who is one of those characters who makes you groan every time they step into frame. He's introduced himself to me a few times and even given me his business card once (which I promptly tossed, despite the fact that it featured a photo of him on the front wearing a cowboy hat, his fax number prominently displayed in bold, and on the back was a collage of descriptor words like "Artist," "Singer," "Visionary," "dreamer," and "child of God"), but I still don't know what his name is. He's cocky, a bit abrasive, and loves to let people know how much he knows.

He is my own personal "Newman."

He's the guy at the party who eavesdrops on conversations and then bulldozes his way inside, offering unsolicited advice and criticism. He hangs out at the building where my wife rents space for her Zumba class and on more than a few occasions he's approached me asking how much she makes (I didn't tell him). When he found out I was married to the Zumba girl he tried to get me to hire him to be her web designer (I didn't) and then told me how she is going about her fitness career all wrong. Of course, he would be more than happy to help steer her career for a small "mentor" fee. There was also the time he tried to convince me there was a "Steve" who worked at the radio station where I worked. When I told him it's a small staff and  no one there is named Steve, he told me I was wrong.

So, as I was walking down the street today on my way to the local coffee shop to buy beans, listening to the latest album for my Comedy Reviews website, I felt my stomach sink as he stepped in front of me on the sidewalk. He was sweating and wearing cargo shorts, a flannel short-sleeved shirt, and a weightlifting belt. He recognized me immediately and said something (I couldn't hear what he said, as my ear buds were in). I turned off my iPod and said, "I'm sorry?"

"Do you live around here?" he repeated, as if I had no business being in the area. I nodded and told him the name of the building where we live. "Ah," he said, "You probably know Kathleen."

"Kathleen?" I repeated, having no idea who he meant. He said her last name (I forget it now) and it still didn't ring a bell. "No, I don't know her."

"You know," he insisted, "Kathleen. Kate."

"No," I repeated, "I don't know her."

"You know, you walk in the door and she's the first one on the right."

As much as that narrowed it down, there are over 130 condo units in the building, four floors,  and at least eight entrances that I know of.

"No," I said again, "I don't know her."

"You should meet her. She's young, cute, and single. You'd like her."

I held up my left hand and wiggled my wedding ring at him. "I'm good, thanks."

He persisted, "Well, if you're ever lonely, you should swing by. You'd like her."

First of all, I'm married.

Second of all, I'm sure your friend Kate loves being whored out like that.

Third of all, you're a douche.

I gave him a curt "No thanks" and popped my ear buds back in before he could say something else. I continued my stroll and left him and his weightlifting belt to continue sweating in the afternoon heat.

Uncle Joe

When I was a kid in elementary school, we used to sing a song in music class that went

"Did you ever got to meetin', Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe?
Did you ever go to meetin', Uncle Joe?"

I had no idea what the song was talking about (and still don't) but I liked to sing it because it was an upbeat song and it made me think of my Uncle Joe.

Every time I saw Joe, he was laughing. He loved to laugh and so, of course, he fit right in with our family. He always greeted me the same way, with a happy, enthusiastic, "Heyyyy, Eddie!" and a big hug. And then he would tell me a joke.

Uncle Joe always had a joke to tell. If there were four things he loved in life, they were his family, Notre Dame, fishing (and collecting antique fishing lures), and jokes. I remember the first time I came back to visit him after I had gone away to college. He took me aside and said, "I bet there are a lot of good parties at college, huh?"

I laughed and said that there were.

And then, as if I were the holder of precious secrets, he asked me in a hushed tone, "Did you hear any good jokes at any of 'em?"

I smiled and told Uncle Joe a couple of jokes I had heard and he swapped them for a few of his own. They were groaners - they always were - but we both knew they were, so it made them funnier.

Joe had a big heart and was always the first in line to help someone who needed a hand. When my grandmother fell ill, he and his wife Sue really took the lead on making sure she had everything she needed. He stepped up and treated her like his own mother and I know it meant a lot to her. It meant a lot to me, too.

Uncle Joe had fallen ill not long ago and his health descended quickly. This morning I got The Call from my brother Ray that Joe had passed on.

Damn.

Sarah and I are going home to Indiana next week and I was looking forward to getting the chance to see him, Sue, and their son Joe. I wanted to give him a hug and tell him a joke. I hate that I won't be able to. I hate that sometimes good people go so soon (too soon) and I hate the pain Sue and his son have to feel and I hate having to describe Uncle Joe in the past tense.

But I love who Uncle Joe was.

I love how much he loved to laugh and I love how angry the Fighting Irish made him when they played poorly and I loved it when he would mutter things to me at family reunions that he probably shouldn't say about others but were funny because they were true. I love that he knew how much I enjoyed humor and that he always tried to make me laugh. I love how much he cared for others and that his heart was just as his big as his passion for life.

And I love that when I see him again, I know he'll have a cooler by the door with a cold one waiting for me and he'll have scoped out the best place in the Great Beyond to hook a big-mouthed bass. I'll bet there's a lot of laughing going on in heaven today. Uncle Joe is finally Home, and he's got a lifetime of jokes to share.

That Looks "Yummy"

From my hometown Indiana newspaper:

That seems like an awfully important word to put in sarcastic quotes.

Something Clever

I'm kinda sorta getting sick of all of the "font boxes" people post on Facebook. You know, the clever/smarmy/witty/inspirational sayings and phrases that the person posting seems to enjoy, but just annoys everyone else. So I made one of my own. Feel free to share.

Sorry, Weird Al (Or, Why Facebook Kicked Me Off)

Today it's my friend Matt's birthday! As a little goof, I decided to post on his Facebook wall a video I made a few years ago of me jumping around like an idiot and lip-synching to Weird Al's song "Happy Birthday." Immediately after I posted it on Matt's wall, I was logged out of Facebook and received an email saying I had violated a copyright and, if it happened again, my video would be removed.

I am also no longer able to log onto Facebook.

Cool. Thanks, Facebook, for making the transition to Google+ that much easier. I'll see you all there!

Oh yeah. And happy birthday, Matt. :)

Cubs (Don't) Win!

Tonight I was sitting inside Five Guys waiting for my order and had forgotten I was wearing my Chicago Cubs ball hat. An older man who was leaving smiled at me as he walked by and said, "Cubs lost today." He looked like a slightly-younger version of Whitman Mayo, the guy who played Grady Wilson on the old "Sanford and Son" show.

I smiled back and said, "I'm used to it."

His hands filled with his purchase, he backed against the door to open it on his way out and said, "The Cubs are gonna win the World Series one of these day."

"I've been saying that every year for the last 40 years," I told him. He laughed and walked to his car. It was only then that I noticed he was wearing a Phillies jacket. Not just a Phillies jacket but one with a bunch of patches all over it that said things like "2-Time World Series Champs" and various other stats and years.

I thought it was nice of him that, even though I do live in Phillies country, he wasn't mean or dismissive. We were just two baseball fans catching up with each other.

But then again, he probably just felt bad for me. It's easy to be nice to someone whose team poses no threat to yours.