Championship

So nfl.com sucks and took off the video that I had up here but I found it on youtube but it is all the commercials in a row so just watch the first two they are the funniest.

For those of you that don't know there is a competition known as Fantasy Football. Every year you pick from all available NFL players and make a "fantasy" team and matchup against the other teams in your league and eventually have a playoff.

I have emerged from the fray victorious and with much joy and have been crowned Cheese Bowl 2006 Fantasy Football Champion. Unfortunately I had to beat two of my best friends in the process and I will never let them forget it for as long as humanly possible. As I tried to explain the finer points to my sister I mentioned that fantasy football has been one of the few things I have looked forward to and one of the only things that has gone right for me in some time. That is why this year is sweeter than the first time I won. I haven't done much recently and what I have done has not gone the way I would have liked. But in fantasy this year I could do no wrong. As George Peppard's character Hannibal on the show "A-Team" always said: "I love it when a plan comes together"

One Of Us

Cursing myspace was one of my favorite pastimes before I joined and now I kind of like what is has to offer, but secretly I think joining is like drinking the punch at a scientology meeting. Had a reunion of sorts last night with an old friend from high school who I found on myspace which has helped to spur the turnaround in my view of it.

I met Angela at Fred's 62 a trendy diner with the breakfast anytime menu and a wine and beer selection. Talk about best of both worlds. Now I can finally realize my dream of Guinness pancakes....mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Seriously though we had a great time catching up and reminiscing about old times and gossiping about what classmates are doing now. There was something very comfortable about the whole situation despite the 12 years it has been since we have seen each other. Of course I am one of those people that easliy picks up right where I left off the next time I see an old friend. Best of all I have finally gotten together with someone in L.A. that lives here and I know. Not friend of a friend but now my friend, which may sound like somewhat of a possesive statement but I mean it in the sense that I feel more like I have done something for myself and reached out to someone to start establishing new relationships here on my own.

As we left Fred's we walked past a movie theater that she frequents and I told her about my how I went to this weird group interview at a theater where they literally interviewed everyone together. When I mentioned the name of the theater(Arc Light) Angela said "Oh no!" and I wasn't sure what her exclamation was referencing and she told me it is a theater run by scientologists. All of a sudden everything clicked. After the interview when they told me and some others that they we not going to continue the interview process with us and that we could go. One of the others inquired as to what it was they did not like and they said that we did not seem to be listening to the others when they were talking and were not engaged. This pissed me off to no end and I got very defensive not because they did not want to hire me but because he gave a bullshit reason why. He didn't have to answer the question he could have just said that the other candidates seem to be a better fit or something to that effect. But he had to go and say what he did and it just didn't make any sense. The others were not talking to us and sometime while other people were talking I was thinking of my answer to the question they asked, which were all ridiculous, and so I was "engaged" in forming my response and not in giving a shit what the other applicants were saying, especially since they were not talking directly to me and we were not having a group discussion. Obviously I feel strongly about this matter and I have ranted to no end about it most likely incoherently to you poor readers. The point is that I could not figure out what made me no annoyed almost angry about what transpired and when Angela told me that is was a damn scientology run theater it all made sense. How's that for making a long story even more excruciatingly long.

The job search has picked up considerably and I have had several interviews in the last week and a half but still no job. It seems more like a matter of time now as opposed to the despair I felt only a short time ago.

I'm Chester Riddles and I'm just......LIVIN' THE DREAM!

What a difference a day makes

I have had quite the emotional day and a half as I have had to come to terms with my situation here in L.A. and my recent struggles to find work. Coming to grips with the fact that I am here and really can make something out of this move finally hit me. Sitting around doing nothing is not helping me; getting out today and really looking for work in a proactive way and not just filling out applications does help. I still feel pressure but it is different. Lately it has been beating myself up for not doing more and having negative thoughts about who I am. Today it changed, hopefully for more than just one day, to the kind of pressure I used to feel when I had to finish a paper for class in college. Pressure with focus and concentration. Remembering that I am good at starting conversations and knowing what and when to say it.

This isn't even what I logged on to write about but then the words began writing on their own. I wanted to write about how I write. During an e-mail explaining my day to my sister and brother I noticed how easy it was to compose the message. When I try to write well or be deep or funny I handcuff myself by overthinking what I am doing, one of my specialties. Writing with more of a flow happens when I have something to say and there is no effort or intention to do it a certain way. Since I have just started writing again regularly on this blog I think my writing is starting to come back into shape. I had a discussion about my writing with my friend E$. While I am not a brilliant writer who has crafted my skill by reading other great authors I am a natural writer who has his moments when everything comes together and makes me proud that I wrote it.

Soup To Nuts

Finally saw Clerks 2 last night. Any fan of the original or other Kevin Smith work will certainly enjoy this installment. After watching I commented on how the two movies spanned my adolescence in a way. Even though I was only 10 years old when the first movie came out I saw it soon there after and immediately loved it. When the new one came out I was a little weary thinking it was only made to cash in on the now cult classic original. That is certainly a little true but it was still good but maybe a little sappy at the end, and no cool speech by Silent Bob at the end like usual that was disappointing. Overall it was a good and one of favorite parts was the Blues Brothers like musical/dancing number to ABC by the Jackson 5. If you haven't seen it see it! You will like it.