This is as good as it gets in Lakewood Ranch, FL

My family and I have been going to this town gathering called "Jazz on Main Street" in Lakewood Ranch for the past 9 months. Every first Friday, people get together at the shopping center (kinda tiny) for a night of fun; listening and dancing to the band music and eating and drinking. The full purpose is to boost economy in the shopping plaza because of the recent negative Florida housing market has caused the town tremedous damage financially and losing its customer.

Funny thing is every month, people come and crowd the place -- I don't know why, but us included enjoy the Friday evening every month. Not that much happening to tell you the truth. Just many old folks. LOL. But this is our favorite event at this boring Lakewood Ranch and we can't seem to get enough of it. Does it mean I'm getting old, too???

From John Mayer

I posted this blog a long time ago, but I thought I would share with you. It's a blog from John Mayer sending out an important message. Enjoy.


**This blog is written by me on January 13, 2008 and by John Mayer on January 12, 2008.

So, maybe we all should learn from this blog posted by John Mayer yesterday. We all love to have good time sometimes, but do we really think what could happen if we drink and drive?
I did exactly that last Friday. I didn't drive because I was no way near, capable of driving, so my best friend drove us home from the bar. She was fine and we got home safely, but it was probably not the best thing to do.
So, after reading this blog, I realized that I need to make more better judgement when I go out. Maybe I should be the Designated Driver for everybody since I don't want to smell alcohol for a while. So, call me when you need a ride after a fun night of drinking and partying. I will pick you guys up and drive you home. Enjoy John's passage - it's pretty enlightening.


SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2008
UNDER THE (IMPRESSION I CAN) INFLUENCE (PEOPLE AROUND ME)

With Chad, Left, seated. (with glasses)


I'm taking to the blog today to share something with you that I feel more passionate about than I saw coming. I want to make it short and sweet so that anybody who wants to re-print it can copy and paste without editing...

Went out to dinner Thursday night. My car. One glass of wine. Carpooled from dinner to go out to one more place. Everyone in my car. At the next spot, I do the Diet Coke with Lime thing. My favorite scotch (Lagavulin 16 year) arrives under my nose. "Can't do it," I say. Then I find out my friend has switched to Designated Driver and has a plan that involves everyone getting home safe. Cool. I love Lagavulin when the time is right. Now it's the end of the night and I'm feeling wonderfully buzzy and ready to get dropped off to my house in my car, except the person that was going to follow my car in the DD's car to drive him back isn't in shape to drive either.

It's 2 o'clock in the morning. I call my housemate Chad. Chad's sleeping. He was in the studio all day. I explain to him that I need him to jump in the back seat of my car, ride to the DD's car and drive me back home. Of course Chad says "yes" and comes through like a champ. A champ, I say.

Here's what I want to tell you:

If I, incredibly hot/fugly John Mayer can make that call, so can you.

The distance from the parking lot to my house was about 5 miles, mostly straight shot up the coast of Santa Monica, zero traffic. And I didn't drive it. Me. The guy who gets the VIP velvet rope treatment in life.

Oh, and the call? It's not the coolest you'll ever sound. And the logistics? It's kind of inelegant. You trace the same route twice when all you want to do is fall into bed. But you gotta do it.

This is all coming from a guy who you can be sure would have found a sexier way to get home if there was one available. And there just isn't, especially in LA. (You can be sexy again the next day when you wake up with the rest of your big, beautiful life in front of you.)

I'm not writing this to earn golf claps, it's just that if I'm going to stand in any way as an ambassador of something cool or influential, this is more important than any pair of sneakers or a guitar.

And to give a big high five to the Chads of the world. See you around

JM

POSTED BY JOHN MAYER AT 12:05 PM FROM LOS ANGELES, CA..>

When you can't still fall asleep...

I sided with writing a blog... As I wrote a few hours ago, I went out with my family last night and had a wonderful time with them. But I fell asleep and that was the beginning of the torture. I guess I fell asleep around midnight feeling little buzzy which was a good thing, then somehow I woke up --- of course I had to go to bathroom and from there, I went down spiral, feeling so sick. After countless tours to the bathroom, I feel much, much better, but no way near have I come to close my eyes. I do want to go to sleep though and I have tried for the last five hours trying that, but in the end I'm typing this.

So, what have I been doing besides toss and turning? I went to myspace, update some profile, send some messages to my friends and read my favorite artist, John Mayer's blog. He has several of them. Oh, I really love his personality - so laid back, down to earth, kind and funny.... Well, I'm talking like I know the guy, of course I don't, but he has this persona which makes you feel like you're his friend. He also loves Japan where I'm from, he speaks Japanese.. He's perfect. And his blogs are so much fun - you should definitely check them out - you'll find yourself amazed by him.

Awwwwww, I feel like crap...

And that's what's happening to me these days; a night of fun, drinking and having good dinner and feel like shit when I come home. I went out with my family tonight to this monthly gathering of the town we live in. People gather at this outside shopping place every first Friday night. I will talk about this more in another blog, but anyway, I had a few wines and after the music ended, we headed to a Japanese restaurant and had a good dinner. I come home, feeling kind of buzzed, laying next to the girls getting them down to bed and I, too, fell asleep. I woke up an hour ago at 2:30am feeling like crap!!! My head is pounding and I just found myself putting my head over the white toilet bowl. Ewww, so not sexy...

I don't know what's up with my body, but I used to be able to drink, drink and more drinking and felt fine afterwards.. No hungover next morning. But ever since I had this night out with my friend about four months ago, drinking my favorite vodka continuously, I fell ill the next morning, I somehow hasn't been able to drink like a champ like used to.... It's weird. It seems like my whole body is rejecting the alcohol... I'm telling myself again that I won't drink anymore. I hate alcohol.... Well, let's see how that goes....

YOUR FAVORITE ON-SCREEN BATMAN by Flick 4 Friday

Are you psyched? I know I am. Batman: the Dark Knight! WOO! Anyways, this meme goes for
all on-screen versions of Batman including those terrific cartoon versions you used to watch after school on the (now-defunct) WB.


My Answer: I must say Michael Keaton.. Somehow I loved the way he carried himself out through the movie... Although I love George Clooney, I wasn't too thrilled by the film, Val Kilmer was okay, not too bad.. Then Christian Bale came along!!!!!! Oh boy, he's so great at it.. So, the ranking goes like this :

1. Michael Keaton
2. Christian Bale (he may take the 1st place after the Dark Knight)
3. Val Kilmer
4. Geroge Clooney

When we do it together...

Below content is what I have posted on my myspace a while back, but I thought I share with you. I start to realize many people are doing their part to be kind to our planet and I'm very happy. But I think we have a long road ahead and let's do it together to save our Earth for our future generation!!!!

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When I go to grocery shopping, I use the shopping bags that I bought at the super market to bag the stuff I buy, so that I don't have to waste plastic bags. It costs .99 cents to buy them and they look cute also. "Green Wise" makes them and they come in three colors. Anyway, I went to the weekly grocery shopping today and I was very happy and hopeful when I returned home. I saw many people using the reusable bags just like I do -- from older people to younger folks bagging their stuff into non-plastic bags. I was really amazed! Some might say "oh what a big deal, it's just plastic." But I think the climate crisis is serious than many believe and I think even a little thing can change the world and save the Earth. I used two of my bags to bag my stuff today. I would have used at least 5 plastic bags to bag them if I didn't use reusable bags (the Green Wise bag can hold tons of stuff!) If I go to grocery store twice a week and use 5 bags each time, sometimes more than that, it means I would use 10 plastic bags per week. Then if I multiply 10 by 4 week worth of bags equal 40 plastic bags per month. If I do that for a year, then I would have used 480 plastic bags!!!! It's kind of a scary thought!!! And what do we do with it? We usually use them to pick dog's poop or something along the line which of course would end up in the landfill to stay there forever. It's just not good.. There are so many different bags out there that you can use for shopping. I also have Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" and use Whole Foods bags when I shop there. They even give you .10 cents back when you use their bags instead of plastic bags. It makes me feel really happy when I don't use plastic bags. It always makes me feel like I accomplish something big! LOL.

I am doing this for not only myself, but for my two daughters and their generation because they will be the ones who will have to face the most difficult time dealing with the climate crisis. I always tell my oldest daughter who tends to enjoy washing her hands longer than she needs to: "our planet is melting! Earth is heating up!!!" And she says "oh, Mommy, that's not good" and she stops the water. It maybe a little thing, but if we do it together, I know we can make a difference. So, let's bag your grocery in reusable bags, recycle plastic bags if you use them (many store takes them back from you), unplug your power cord including your cell phone charger, shut down your pc instead of putting it to sleep and conserve water!!! I think we can do this!
What do you think? Do you have what it takes to save the planet?

This week's Friday 5 questions.

1. Of television programs that aired before you were born, what’s your favorite?
A. I Love Lucy

2. What person of historical significance was from your neighborhood or city?
A. Historical significance in my book was my grandpa and others who lived through WWII even though they're ordinary people.

3. What’s a story that’s often been told about someone in your family in the years before you came along?
A. My Grandfather who survived A-bomb in Hiroshima on Aug 6, 1945

4. Which of previous generations’ dumb mistakes (in deed or thought) baffles you the most?
A. Racial segregation...

5. What aspect of life in the good old days would you love to see a return to?
A. When I was little, I was able to run around neighborhood and everybody in the neighborhood would watch us closely, so we can play safely... Everybody knew everybody. Now I don't even know if my daughters can do that on the streets - it's sad to teach my children not to trust people, but that's what we have to do these days..