last night

So last night I went to a Parrothead party. If you know who Jimmy Buffet is, you'll know the theme was margaritas, burgers, and parrot hats. One of the partners at work hosted it so i went with my friend Rachel and one of her newer pals, Jesse. After the party we went to a restaurant/bar in Venice. Rachel and I played foosball (table soccer) with these British guys - one of them who had this crazy curly blonde wig on. We got all into it and kicked their asses the first time, but had some trouble the second game because the blonde wig wearer entered the game and was a pro or something and it was really hard to get past him or block his shots.. even so, I would say we did awesome and showed the guys that we can hold our ground. I have to say I had fun hanging out with some real cool people.

Short Obama Poem

The courageous lion takes the stage
steady and calm
carefully he speaks
like a ray of light out of the dark
he shines

oh the irony of life

ok, what gives? Why is it that every time I come across a guy i really like, he's totally not interested, and the guys that totally have the hots for me I'm not interested in. Can we get a mutual thing going here or something? Looks like I have to step up my game and get some super hot clothes to crush the competition. ;)

Buddhist practice

Earlier this year a friend of mine turned me on to Nichiren Buddhism, and I've been practicing ever since. One part of the practice is doing Gongyo in front of the Gohonzon.. gongyo is chanting, reciting 2 excerpts from the Lotus Sutra, and silent prayer. You can basically chant and pray for anything you like, although the best effect is when it has to do with your own or others inner transformation.
Some things I have been chanting/praying for:

*to have the courage to face and overcome my inner emotional and other external struggles.
*to change my negative karma (especially in terms of relationships)
*to be able to see through any past or present dilusions that could hinder the future of the relationship I have with the guy I'm dating.
*to be able to share the practice with those close to me.
*to have the strength to go on during difficult times.
*to never lose faith in a brighter tomorrow and to never lose hope that I will find the right person to spend the rest of my life with.
*to foster my compassionate Buddha nature.
*the health/happiness/safety of my family and friends.
*peace throughout the world and the happiness of all humanity

and so it begins

Well hey, look at that. I am blogging again. Greetings to all that might be reading.

Right now I should be sleeping, but I had the sudden urge to set up a blog. I feel as though I have embarked on a new chapter in my life so I thought this would be a great way to document it. I know, i have to work on skinning it and making it look all pretty, but it'll do for now.

So i go to the Washington Mutual website to check my account and it says "Welcome to JP Morgan Chase." Fortunately nothing's really changed (other than the bank name and logo) and everything's still FDIC insured. As a bonus, I can use Chase ATMs fee-free now.

It is really interesting what is going on with the economy right now. It's a shame that congress is having a difficult time agreeing on what to do next.