designer debrief :: design . gadgets . lifestyle

"Man hits woman on way to anger control class"

2008-03-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

The title alone makes me crack up in tears.

Here's a case where anger management classes don't work. Read the entire article here.

Source: MSNBC

Warning if you're looking to rent on Capitol Hill

2008-02-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

[Passing on the info from my friend R.]

For those of you looking for a place on Capitol Hill, wanted to share my experience with the Biltmore Apts (the big brick building off Olive, by Starbucks and Glo's) and RP Management.

I really don't want to sound like the Frye apts dude always yelling downtown, but I think it's important to warn people considering renting from RP Managment. Here's my scoop:

My onsite manager, nice enough guy, was sick all the time and had a friend fix a plumbing problem in my apartment. The friend left the hot water running all day + night and it caused a lot of damage. My manager said his friend shouldn't do repairs drunk, and offered me a roll of quarters to do any laundry I needed from mopping up the water. Nice.

My rent was raised almost $300 in less than two years . It went up very soon after my 6-month lease expired and just kept on going. They wouldn't give me a lease extension. People kept having to move out because of repeated rent hikes. My neighbors in the little house across the street had theirs raised by RP Managment $700 in less than 6 months.

Last Fall they finally started to offer lease extentions. When I went to sign mine I was told it would be at my newest rent amount (effective the next month), which I hadn't received any written or verbal notice whatsoever of whatsover. Completely illegal. Washington state law requires 30 days written notice for a rent increase. On top of that, they were trying to enforce it a month early if I wanted a least extension. Shady.

I called the tenants union, who advised me that RP Managent could not enforce a rent increase without proof of written notice. I wrote RP management a certified letter (as advised) asking for the notice. No response. My onsite manager told me I could pay the increase or face eviction.

So: rents go up, shit happens, but in my experice RP Managment/Biltmore apartments raises rents aggressively, excessively, and my case illegally.

RP Management manages some beautiful buildings on the hill:
http://www.rpmanagement.net/browsehood.asp?state=Washington&hood=Capitol%20Hill

My advice is avoid them at all costs.

R

Visit the tenant's union site if you're dealing with a similar headache:
http://www.tenantsunion.org/rights/23/rent-increases

Carl, Jr.'s gay commercial

2008-02-17T21:59:00.000-08:00

Love is in the air

2008-02-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

Well in this case, LOVE is in the building. The Seattle skyline never looked so lovely.

$54 Million laptop

2008-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome story. A woman brings in her laptop to Best Buy to get it repaired. They lose it after a few weeks. Woman is disgruntled. Best Buy offers a gift card for the loss. Woman says it's not fair. Her identity is stolen--personal tax data on the computer. Best Buy does not apologize. Woman files a $54 million lawsuit. How much would you sue if your laptop (with all those priceless pictures, stuff from iTunes, and valuable time lost) was stolen?

More at MSNBC

4 minutes to save the world

2008-02-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Madonna - 4 Minutes To Save The World (Inedit)

A clip from Madonna's new album. With collaboration from Timbaland + Justin Timberlake + Madonna, what could go wrong??

A Good Day

2008-02-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

My last 24 hours has been excellent. Last night I had dinner with Jack. We had burgers and microbrew beer (I know, how rare for two gay guys, huh?) and had great conversation the whole time. It was raining, so I walked him home under an umbrella. This morning I had class, then went to the gym. After that I had a really healthy and delicious lunch, and a very refreshing shower.

My wallet was burning so it was time to go shopping. I got a new glasses prescription a month ago, and still haven't gotten around to finding new glasses. So I went shopping downtown, and found a pair that I liked and that is comfortable. I went to pay, and the girl told me they would be $438. What!?!? Ummm, no. I refused. I looked shocked, and she immediately said "Well, ok, we can do it for an even $400." And I thought "Ooooh! I didn't even know I was bargaining, but I guess I am. Game on!" Anyway, I ended up getting them down to $350. Credit card was swiped and there goes more debt.

After that I met a friend for a shopping spree. I HATE malls, but my experience at the club on Saturday convinced me that I need some new stuff for going out. My friend is totally hot and very stylish, and I've always admired how he looks. So I took him as my personal shopper, and he was very accommodating. He understands that if I don't get it right in the first couple tries, we have to just leave. I can't stand the process.

We started at Club Monaco and got me a couple nice long-sleeve shirts and an awesome light and dark gray argyle v-neck sweater. It's gonna look super cute with a collared shirt under it and the sleeves rolled up. I'd never been to that store before, but a boy I dated a long time ago was a frequent customer and always looked good. Now that I've tasted the magic for myself, I think I'm a fan.

We then headed to Nordstrom (Lacoste section), but everything there is totally overpriced and most of it looks clownish. I am all for bright colors, but not ALL of them on the same article of clothing. And I am not about to pay $100 more than something is worth just to have a stupid alligator on the front. Please, bitches. I'm not about to fall for that.

We stopped by Sunglass Hut to see a friend who works there. They made me try on these awesome aviator sunglasses. I've always thought they make me look like an insect, but these were a slightly different shape than usual, and I think they fit my face well. I usually hate how I look in sunglasses, so it's a rare thing to find something that works. They told me I could get them for $170. Bye bye.

After that we went to Pagliacci. We consumed an entire 18 inch pizza between the two of us. So much for all that working out. *sigh* But it was worth it.

So, the next big spree is to find jeans. Where can someone find good jeans that actually fit well!?

Anyway, it's been a great day. I was going to try to do stuff, but now it's 11:00pm and I'm feeling tired and lazy. Maybe I'll have some red wine, watch a movie, and call it a night. Hurray for the single life!

Star Trek

2008-02-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

The new trailer is out! I've been waiting for a new Star Trek film to come out in sooo long. The last one sort of sucked, hopefully this one will be better. It definitely has hotter actors. Check it out at Apple.com/trailers.

Tom Brady

2008-02-03T17:43:00.001-08:00

Ohhhhhh yesssss. Too bad they lost. :-(

Dream ticket

2008-02-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I had the weirdest dream. Let me describe it to you briefly...

1. Hillary wins the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.

2. Naturally, she wants to choose as her running mate someone with a lot of knowledge and experience in government and foreign affairs, someone who is a seasoned campaigner who could bring a lot of strength to the ticket. Who better than Bill, her husband?!!!

3. Hill and Bill go on to win the election in November and the Democrats maintain control of the House and the Senate.

4. Hillary is sworn in as President on January 20, 2009. The next day, after all the inauguration parties are over, she calls a press conference to make an announcement: she is resigning as President!!! Bill, as the Vice President, immediately becomes President!!!

This is all perfectly legal under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution; for it states that no person "may be elected as president more than twice."

Bill is not being elected for a third term but is merely serving out the remainder of Hillary's term ---all 4 years of it.

5. But wait! There's more! The following day Bill calls a press conference to make an announcement. He has chosen someone to fill the now vacant Vice President position. Guess who he picks? Why, Hillary, of course!!!

My dreams always come true!

I'm fucking Matt Damon

2008-02-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't kick him out of bed.

Macbook Air unboxing

2008-01-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna try to be good all year long so Santa will get me one for Christmas.

We all had brown eyes

2008-01-31T12:40:00.002-08:00

How did actress Reese Witherspoon get those big blue eyes? A team of scientists has found that blue eyes are linked to a genetic mutation that occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.

People with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor, according to new research.

"Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

Read more at MSNBC.

It's a numbers game

2008-01-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a birthday party at Delicious and I brought a girl with me as my date... the straight bartender paid for my drinks and asked my date to pay for hers. Hah! that was hilarious though mean at the same time. Right after we left, a cute guy I was flirting with gave me his number. Earlier at the gym, a cute guy gave me his number too. Was there a full moon tonight?

Seattle Metro + me = death

2008-01-27T11:25:00.001-08:00

Now that my work schedule is back to normal, I have to start taking public transportation once again--I'm soo happy about that. I'm gonna miss my 15-minute car commute. :-( Goodbye parking garage, hello 45-minute bus ride. If time is money, there goes my money!

10 Things I Hate About Riding the Bus

Chatty high school Asian girls reading their yearbook comments outloud.
Chatty old Asian women on opposite ends of the bus having a conversation.
Fatties who invade my space. Hit the gym folks.
Bus drivers who drive like maniacs even when the bus is packed with standing people.
Obnoxious people with their music on so loud. It reiterates my dislike of rap.
People who prefer to stand when there are seats available in the back.
People who keep staring at you for no apparent reason. I'm not THAT hot.
Retarded people who talk and talk for no apparent reason.
People with really bad B.O.
Inadvertently seating on a seat that's sticky.

"Sexual orientation"

2008-01-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

After taking a lot of time (I just made this up right now actually) I've translated what these dumb guys "say" and what they "mean" when you ask for their sexual orientation:

If they say "I don't like labels"
They either mean "I'm a complete fucking faggot but I don't like the culture" or "I'm totally straight but since you're tipping me I'll give some vague hippy answer that's totally acceptable in diahrrea cultures like Los Angeles and Miami"

If they say "Well...I'm whatever you want me to be *smiles*"
They mean "I'm straight but if you buy me enough drinks I'll let you fuck me if you have enough money. I take VISA."

If they say "People can say whatever they want about me but I don't consider myself one way or the other"
They mean "I'm giving you an ideal breakthrough in understanding the concept of sexual orientation when it's really just me passively rejecting you. However, if I were black, asian, or hispanic, I totally would've given you a straight forward answer."

It's a simple answer folks, you're either straight, bisexual, homosexual, chulosexual (attracted to only Latinos), ricesexual (attracted to only Asians), gay-for-pay/bi-curious, or shut the fuck up and don't give some vague answer because it's not amusing and not increasing my chances of getting laid.

Thanks.

Polite vs. Rude, Part III

2008-01-22T21:31:00.001-08:00

Turn signals:

I do have a bit of road rage in me; I've detected that cutting me off or changing lanes without a turn signal sets this off. I always use a turn signal when I change lanes. If you change lanes and get in front of me, without a turn signal, I immediately imagine smashing you with my car at 90mph. I might follow you for several blocks, honk my horn, or flip you off. I might even give you the look that says "you are stupid, ugly, and have zero brain activity". I know this is dangerous; I might get shot, stabbed, anything really. But at the moment this happens, my sense of right/wrong is overridden by my intense desire to run you off the road. Also, if you use a turn signal, and I blatantly make room for you to enter my lane, please exhibit the 'wave of hand'. This is a silent gesture with your hand that says "I acknowledge you let me in, and I thank you for it".

That's all I have for now...remember this: The More You Know, The More You Grow. Don't say I didn't try to educate you.

Polite vs. Rude, Part II

2008-01-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Elevator Etiquette:

I know that most people in the elevator do not talk to strangers. Hell, even I pretend to be pre-occupied with my cell phone, the carpet pattern, even sometimes whispering the 50 states in alphabetical order...Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas... With that said, when you are waiting to enter the elevator, please wait for all to exit. This past weekend, a BITCH decided to enter the elevator at Pacific Place before all had exited. I did say "Excuse You!" in return, to which she said "Excuse You!". As I turned and yelled "what bitch?" the doors closed. I was filled with abnormal rage and wanted to smack this girl in the face. Now I was raised that violence is never the answer, and to never hit a girl. But does slapping count? It should. You know what, I WOULD smack a girl. SMACK! and run like hell.

Polite vs. Rude, Part I

2008-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Most that know me will agree that I take notice when somebody is not polite. I've decided to list a few examples of politeness, since some people are seriously lacking in this department.

Holding the door open:

99 percent of the time I will hold the door for people coming in behind me. A lot of people will sneak in on this behavior, as if their own arm/arms cannot hold the weight of a door. On any given day, I probably hold the door open for 15-20 people, especially at my workplace. 80 percent of the time, I've noticed people do not acknowledge this behavior. I know that I go out of my way to say "Thank You" each and every time somebody holds the door for me. How difficult is it for you rude-ass people out there to say "Thank You?" Oh yeah, I forgot: your arms don't work, so neither does your vocabulary/speech. I have been known to yell at people "You're Welcome!" if a thank you is not returned. I decided that elderly people (65 and up) do not apply. I figure you've made it this far in life, the least I can do is hold the door for you.

27 Dresses

2008-01-19T23:47:00.001-08:00

So I went and saw 27 Dresses tonight. It's one of those movies I would never see unless I was forced to see it. So tonight, I was forced. To my disbelief, I ended up enjoying myself. It thought it was a true romantic comedy fitting for the genre. Katherine Heigle (of Grey's Anatomy fame) was funny, witty, and emotionally connected with the audience--namely me of course. It reminded me a little bit of My Best Friend's Wedding--which I liked. I highly recommend it. At the end of the movie, I even said, "this is one of those movies I would actually go out and buy on DVD." The eye candy wasn't half bad either--cutie James Marsden (X-Men) and and hottie Ed Burns (Saving Private Ryan). So ya. Go see it. You'll thank me.

Dating ettiquette

2008-01-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine just called (interrupting my deep sleep damnit). He's only 26 and was on his second date with this boy he's seeing. They were hanging out at a bar and the guy got totally wasted so my friend took him back to his place--where he passed out upon entering the apartment building. My friend (I hate saying "my friend" over and over but I don't want to name him so that's why) had to carry him up five flights of stairs and by the time he got off the phone with me, the guy had puked all over his futon. The poor thing. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to a second date in Seattle.

Oh no they didn't

2008-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Oh yes they did. MacBook Air, the world's thinnest notebook. The rumors were true afterall. It's so sexy, it's so thin, so light--it's like air. hahah. Time to save up once again! Damn you Apple, but I still love you.

So which one should I buy now? A MacBook Pro? Regular MacBook? iMac? Mac Mini? Damn that Ryan for giving me a $600 Apple gift card.

All smiles for the camera

2008-01-17T22:58:00.000-08:00

Bigger photo here.

Nothing turns me on more than a pair of hot hockey players who aren't afraid to smile. I'll take the one on the right. Love the guns.

Mike Komisarek (left), 6-foot-4 defenseman with a head of messy blond hair and a hard-to-dim smile. Christopher Higgins (right), a 6-foot forward, is low-key and sexy.

Full story: Teammates From Long Island to Montreal

Stupid idiots + tiger = death

2008-01-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO - One of the three victims of the San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted standing atop a railing of the big cat enclosure and yelling and waving at the animal that would later maul them, killing his friend, police said in court documents.

Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The affidavit, which requested a search warrant for the surviving victims' cells phones and car, also cites multiple reports of a group of young men taunting animals at the zoo, the Chronicle reported Thursday.

Toxicology results for Dhaliwal showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.16 percent after the attack — twice the legal threshold for drunkenness — while his 24-year-old brother Kulbir Dhaliwal's blood alcohol level was 0.04 percent and Sousa's was 0.02 percent, according to Inspector Valerie Matthews, who prepared the affidavit.

All three also had marijuana in their systems, Matthews said. Kulbir Dhaliwal told police that the three had smoked pot and each had "a couple shots of vodka" before leaving San Jose for the zoo on Dec. 25, the affidavit said.

Source: Associated Press

2008-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the movie Shortbus. I've been reading tons of good/bad reviews about it ever since it came out last year. I finally bumped it up my queue and got it a few days ago but only got to watching it tonight. I was expecting something different, I got this instead...

I think this movie should have gotten an NC-17 rating instead of R because it had TONS of sex scenes (straight, gay, lesbian, tri-bi-quad, you name it). For anyone looking for an offbeat movie with TONS of sex sex sex that can be rented via Netflix, go for it. hahah.

In this movie, you'll find:
- A sex therapist who has never had an orgasm (how sad)
- A gay couple who invites a third and is stalked by a voyeur
- A straight couple who invites a third
- A lesbian group having sex (close your eyes boys!)
- Husband and wife who are sexually incompatible
- Straight guy addicted to porn
- A woman with an sex toy that goes crazy on her ass (literally)
- A dominatrix for pay
- 15-PERSON orgy

I think I can die now.

Ultimate love affair

2008-01-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Coke--my best friend. It makes me weak in the knees. I can't go a single day without downing one, bad me. Today, I was craving one real early in the morning, like right after I woke up. I got up, straight to the kitchen, took one out of the fridge and popped the can. Ahhhh, how I love that sound. On a bad day, I can down three or four, which is really really bad, but I'm addicted to it--like a moth to a flame. Now that I'm really into going to the gym and the results are showing, maybe I should cut down a little--maybe then I'll see some abs.

Here's a little info about the badness of coke, maybe it'll make me stop.

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don't vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes , caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you'll start to have a sugar crash.

Source: Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007

Public restrooms

2008-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

I hate it when there's not a trash can near the door to a public restroom (at least if you have to "pull" in order to exit). We all know that not every guy washes his hands. So they get pee on their hands, and then reach for the door to open it. So there's like 150 different varieties of pee drying on the door.

Knowing this, I always dry my hands off with a paper towel, and then keep the towel and use it to open the door. As I'm passing through the door, I toss the towel into the can.

Think I'm crazy? Think I'm the only one? Watch people sometime. Or check out your local bathrooms. There are a lot of trashcans near the door.

But sometimes there isn't, and I'm either stuck with a paper towel in my hand, which is annoying, or I have to touch the pee-handle. Nasty.

Elevators

2008-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

I was just standing at an elevator bank, and there was a woman standing there. I noticed that the button wasn't lit up, but since she was clearly in a hurry and was standing there staring at the elevator, I thought it would be rude to go push it myself because of the implication that she was incompetent. So I just assumed the light was out. I was texting someone anyways, so I didn't really care.

Then a mother and daughter came up, and the mom had the girl push the button. She did it in that retarded half-ass way that kids sometimes do things, and it still didn't light up. Now I thought that maybe the light was not broken, and that BOTH of them were just incompetent. But now I REALLY couldn't go press it, because I would be implying that ALL THREE of them were retarded because the mom hadn't corrected the kid's mistake.

So we all stood there for a while, and finally some big fat guy came along and didn't care what anybody thought. He just marched up and pressed the button like a man. Sure enough, it lit up. Ugh.

Designer heater/AC

2008-01-13T00:53:00.000-08:00

Do you think it's too hot at work? Do you think it's too cold? Then this device may be your only salvation. The C2 Climate Control, created by the uber-expensive brand Herman Miller, it's a little heater + air-conditioner in one! I work in a cube so there's no way for me to control the temperature. I also happen to sit by a window and in gets uncomfortably hot in the afternoon. If I even attempt to close the blinds, the rest of my mates in the cube farm get really really pissed. So what am I to do? Perhaps buy one of these little bad boys. Supposedly, it controls the temperature around a very small perimeter--pretty much the size of my cube. I'll have to fork over a whopping $280 for the C2, though it could be worth all the shivers and sweats. If anyone else is suffering from the hot-cold-hot-cold-infinity office environment AND is considering getting one of these, LET ME KNOW(!), because I want one too. :-)

via Herman Miller

Today's Banner: 1.12.08

2008-01-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

Took a picture of a really long and narrow corridor at the San Francisco International Airport.

I would give up my baby

2008-01-12T19:26:00.001-08:00

If I had a baby that is, to attend this year's Macworld conference in San Francisco. So my baby mac is becoming a little ancient and it's time to get a replacement. This past Christmas, Ryan bought me a Mac Mini (NICE!) but I had to return it because it wasn't what I really wanted--I've been tossing back and forth between a Mini or Macbook Pro.

So now, I have an Apple credit of around $600 and I'm itching to spend it. With all the rumors flying around that Apple will release an ultra-portable notebook really really soon, I'll wait and see. If not, maybe a Macbook Pro will be my future baby.

Macworld image courtesy of Engadget, thought it was really cool.

Hotness

2008-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

I think I saw the cutest boy of all time at Nordstrom today. Tall, slender, dark hair... wearing a super nice black suit, light criss-cross shirt, and matching tie. HOT! Guys look their best in suits and winter clothes I think.

Lunatic drivers

2008-01-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Need to write this down before I calm down.

Just got home and I was almost ran off I-5 by a lunatic driver! So I get on the on-ramp to I-5 by James Street and there was an accident half-a-mile ahead of me so the lane was reduced from two lanes to one. This huge SUV was behind me and she kept honking for some reason. WTF! I wasn't sure why because there was an accident in front and everyone was going at a super slow pace bumper-to-bumper--maybe she was in a hurry. Anyways, so she moves to the left lane (I was on the right lane)--the merge doesn't happen until a few cars down. So now we're dead even, side by side. Then we got to the merge, I had to merge left (onto her lane), otherwise I'd hit a cop car or one of those flares on the ground, I wasn't about to get bullied. The entire time she kept honking and wouldn't let me in, but I merged anyways, and she drove up so close, my face was literally on her front lights. When I finally got in, of course she turned on her high beams... So now we're finally on I-5. I switch lanes, she follows me, I switch lanes again, she follows me, this goes on a few more times until I finally reach my exit. SHIT! What did I do to deserve this?! Some people, I swear, if I didn't keep a cool head, I would be in an accident right now y'all.