Comfort Zone

Enjoyed a spectacular view from the 21st floor of the Treo@Kettner building in Downtown San Diego. Breathtaking.

Rick, Brandon and I then decide to grab a "quick" drink just for a few. It seemed like an easy decision. So we went over to the Beach Bar and the Magnet Room at the W Hotel. Two hours later we're chatting up a storm. I love this comfy zone. I love the atmosphere. I love the space. The design. The bars. The air. The.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Please Stay" by Röyksopp

Color Scheme Tools

Lately I have been inspired. Designing every minute that I have free. I've been using a number of great color scheme tools. I thought I'd share my bookmarks with those of you who care about color:

Color Toy
QuickColor
ColorMatch 5k
color synthAxis
Barevné Schéma
4096 Color Wheel
ColorMatch Remix
Color Schemer Online V2
Color Palette Creator v1.5
The Man In Blue Technicolor

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Northern Sky" by Nick Drake

Do You Know Your Middle East?

Test your Geography knowledge on this drag-and-drop interactive: Map of the Middle East

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Roads" by Portishead

Friends Are Comford. Friends Are Inspiration.

Marie and I met Viviana, Enrique, Sandra and Eric at Spices Thai for dinner. I'm glad that all I ordered was a bowl of soup. Meeting with people who care usually makes for a great, long, and meaningful conversation. We talk and talk and talk and there is just no time to eat. I wish there were more people in the world like the ones keeping us great company tonight.

After dinner Sandra, Eric, Marie and I went over to Starbucks for some more chatting and laughing. Easy times. Fun times. Memorable times.

We reminisce and as we go down the list of mutual friends, the name of my good High School friend, Joel, comes up. I just remembered that this morning I received an e-mail from Joel, with a subject line "Who would have thought?", that read:

Thirteen years ago I declared that "I'm not going to shul again, unless someone can prove to me that Judaism is true, in which case I will become an orthodox rabbi."

This morning, on the eve of my ten-year anniversary of having returned to my Jewish roots, I fulfilled those words, having been ordained as a "full-fledged" orthodox rabbi.

I am so proud of Joel. His perseverance and determination are pure inspiration. Congratulations, Joel!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Open Book" by Tahiti 80

Tom Hanks Speaks Bulgarian

How do I know? Saw Steven Spielberg's The Terminal. Tom Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a visitor to New York City from a made up Eastern European country called Krakozhia. When the Airport authorities attempt to communicate with him, he answers in Bulgarian. He's pretty good at it and uses some pretty funny expressions. It's too bad every time he speaks in his native tongue, the volume is lowered and he seems to mumble.

Why did Spielberg and Hanks decide to use Bulgarian as the mystery language of the mystery Eastern European country? Well apparently Tom Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, is half Bulgarian (on her father's side).

It was great to see the return of Kumar Pallana who played Pagoda in The Royal Tenenbaums. The picture below is from the funniest scene in the movie. Kumar Pallana cracks me up!


Besides Tom Hanks speaking Bulgarian in The Terminal, I felt another cool personal connection with the movies when later we saw Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I spotted Ian Brown, the frontman of one of my favorite bands, the Stone Roses, sitting on a table in one of the scenes. They cast him in the wrong film; I still believe the self-proclaimed King Monkey would've been perfect in Planet of the Apes.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Good Fortune" by PJ Harvey

Jazzanova in a Thin Room

Love the sushi rolls at Sushi Itto. A side of edamame and Sapporo sips from a bottle complete a perfect meal. Marie and I had nice company for dinner - Jackie, Ken, Leyla and Harriette.

Next we all headed down to Nunu's to meet Rachel and Karey. Nunu's is still one of my favorite hang out places. Everytime I'm there I hear David Bowie played on the jukebox. Is it just me, or is he a really popular choice there?

Once we heard Bowie, we were ready to leave and go contribute more chaos to what is Friday night's Downtown madness. Had planned weeks ago to see Jazzanova who flew in all the way from Berlin, Germany, so they can entertain us.

The Thin Room is stylish. Hip. Happening. The floor of the entrance hallway is covered with real grass. That's right - fresh green grass - I kid you not. Inside the atmosphere is one that allows you to clear your mind and either dance your shoes off grooving lost in beats and soundscapes, or chill on a comfy chair having a simple conversation about life. Enjoying the music, the lights, the people.

Jazzanova played an eclectic mix of music. Some great hypnotic house tunes now and then, some vibrant tribal and Latin beats, as well as experimental jazzy syncopations and abstract improvisations. Nice! Thin Room is not too small and not too big - a perfect blend of intimacy and space. I was able to get up close and check out some crafty serious DJ skills. Fun stuff. Good times.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Fedime's Flight" by Jazzanova

Get Into It

Chris met me at Shakespeare's Pub to watch the first Euro 2004 quarterfinal. England vs. Portugal. Man, this match was some real drama. Had to get to the pub no later than an hour and a half prior to the first whistle in order to get a seat. Ordered some fish'n'chips and glued eyes to the big screen.

An early third minute goal for England blew the roof off Shakespeare's Pub. The packed house was electrified. Screaming, banging on tables, singing, jumping up and down - it truly felt like we were at a rock concert. No wonder - futbol is such a huge passion for the mostly British folk at the pub, as it is everywhere else in the universe, except for the USA.

I don't think Chris had ever watched a futbol game with a bunch of screaming fans. I loved it that he was getting into it. Little by little. And I knew he would - he is a sports fanatic at heart, so it was easy for him to appreciate a different sport and relate to the passion of the futbol fans.

The match was a rollercoaster ride. After the early goal, England adopted the wrong strategy of defending. There's so much truth to the term "offense is the best defense" and today we witnessed England's failure and paying the price for not subscribing to it. Injured Rooney contributed to the downfall of England, perhaps, but really, once Portugal scored, England's spirits were crushed. Portugal sustained a momentum on the offensive and eventually took the lead. England then realized they had nothing to lose and pushed back to score a goal tying the game at 2:2. Then there was the controversial goal that would've won the game for them, was it not for the referee deciding that there was some kind of a foul somewhere in the mess of action in front of the Portuguese goalie. Whatever. I am curious to see the postgame development in investigating his decision.

So "get into it!" was the phrase being yield out loud every 37 seconds by a passionate Brit standing somewhere in the crowd behind us. Freakin' loved that scream. During overtime, you could hear the geezer losing his voice, but sticking to his guns. "Get into it!" Classic.

Penalty kicks. The worst way to decide what team is better. It is long overdue for FIFA to change this rule and allow for the game to go on until sudden death, or even better, have a second match at a later date. England was to go first, and as soon as I saw Beckham approach the penalty kick dot, I had a bad feeling that he'll miss. He missed a penalty kick against France and was obviously under extreme pressure this time around. Yeah, the ground was soft and he slipped, but the ground was soft for everybody and he was the only one to slip. Plain simple, he was extremely nervous. Missed it. The two teams were then going back and forth for a while scoring on each other. Finally a Portuguese player missed, giving one last hope to England. But then a hero emerged from the Portuguese team. The goalie saved a shot and quickly ran over to the penalty kick dot to take the next one and put it in with confidence. A painful stab in England's heart. What a way to end it all. Drama.

Goodbye, England. Great efforts, unlucky here and there, but really, next time play offense. You're better at it.

Congrats, Portugal. Even though I wanted England to win it, I have to admit you were the better team. Playing your heart out. You were the ones to get into it and won it. I could see you winning the championship. Go Portugal!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Firestarter" by The Prodigy

Summer Clouds

I don't need to go outside today to enjoy some beautiful summer clouds. Marie takes care of that for me. I love her first ever oil painting:

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Skyscraper" by Kinobe

Dodgeball - A True Underdog Story

Laughed at some pretty funny scenes and dialogues at the movies tonight. Ben Stiller and Steve Vaughn star in Dodgeball. It's an entertaining film but probably forgettable. Marie and I enjoyed some tasty burgers at Ruby's before the movie. Relaxing times. I need a break and this is it.

Bulgaria needs a break too...from losing. Seems like they have been dodging balls too. Today they lost 1:2 against Italy in their third and final match at Euro 2004. They finally scored a goal, however. From a penalty kick. Yay! Go Bulgaria! Go home, Bulgaria...

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Metronomic Underground" by Stereolab

Go England! Rooney's Got You Covered!

Croatia 2 : England 4

Wayne Rooney is a hero. Great footballer. I love how he plays as if he's playing with his buddies in the neighborhood. Confident, determined, decisive. Oh, yeah, he's super talented too.

Go England! Quarterfinals on Thursday against the Euro 2004 hosts, Portugal. I read that the game will be shown on a big screen at this year's Glastonbury Festival. I wish I could be there! Would have loved to see Oasis, Muse, James Brown, Supergrass, Paul McCartney, The Chemical Brothers, PJ Harvey, Fatboy Slim, Badly Drawn Boy, Groove Armada , Orbital and Morrissey.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "The Staunton Lick" by Lemon Jelly

The Future Is Here

Genetic mutation has created superboy.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Girls And Boys" by Blur

Miami Wize - New Numba One Sho

Another fine evening spent kicking it at Lorin's house. Finally met Kevin's wife Amber. These newlyweds make a great couple. Nice chats. I feel sorry for Amber cause Kevin prolly makes her laugh so much she gets stomach aches.

Chris was his usual elegantly buzzed self, entertaining a fine group of folk: Lorin, Kevin, Amber, Jason, Keith, Suzi, Mike, and Marie. I love it when he shares his passion for music - putting on songs for us to hear, air-guitar jamming, lip synching like Britney, and telling us of the way of rock.

Watched Eurotrip outtakes and laughed our cowbells off. Fave scene is the one with the man in Bratislava where he greets the American tourists with "You are Americans. I love America! Miami Wize - new numba one sho" in a thick Czech accent. Almost as funny as the Two Penguins joke:

A man drives to a gas station and has his tank filled up. The gas pumper spots two penguins sitting in the back seat of the car.

He asks the driver, "What's up with the penguins in the back seat?"

The man in the car says "I found them. I asked myself what to do with them but, I haven't had a clue."

The clerk ponders a bit then says, "You should take them to the zoo."

"Hey, that's a good idea," says the man in the car and drives away.

The next day the man with the car is back at the same gas station. The clerk sees the penguins are still in the back seat of the car.

"Hey, they're still here! I thought you were going to take them to the zoo."

"Oh, I did," says the driver, "And we had a swell time. Today I am taking them to the beach."

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Right On, Right On" by Silicone Soul

Oh, Be

Haven't been in Ocean Beach for over a year. Not much has changed and seems like never will. This place is frozen in time. Set in stone. San Diego's bohemian neighborhood with mellow lazy days and devious nights welcoming all who like to party.

Tonight we relax on Robin's balcony. Sipping on wine and enjoying Marie's delicious homecooking. Watched Bob Marley's Legend DVD more than once. (Maybe 3 times?) What a talent! What charisma! Jammin'!

I wish the Bulgarian team was jammin' too at the Euro 2004, but today they were silenced and disqualified from the championship after a 0:2 loss to Denmark.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley

Orange Kiss at the Airconditioned Lounge

First time at the Airconditioned Lounge. Great atmosphere. Underground feel. I like it. Except, they need to install some air conditioning at this "airconditioned lounge". A bit hot. But in a cool way.



Met Kristin, Chuck, and his girlfriend Anna. Tonight's event called Orange Kiss was put together by Gage from Merge Life & Music. As usual, he is keeping the city alive and awake. Had a nice chat and enjoyed some smooth downtempo and retro mixes.





Was walking towards my car at around midnight when I hear my name being called by several voices. Ran into Maria, Anelia, Nik and Jorro. Back for another drink and basically closed the place down. Fun times.

I need a third alarm clock.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "So What" by Miles Davis

Can You Feel the Love?

I sure can. When I get home and find a package in my mailbox, open it, and see 14 CDs compiled personally for Marie and me, I can't help but feel the love. Steve, you made my day! Really! Thanks a million! Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated. But you've left me in a bind. What do I do to return the favor? I am not happy with the obvious answer of compiling and sending 15 CDs back. I'll think of something.

This pleasant surprise was the icing on the cake of this good-mood, feel-fine, light-blue, easy-happenin' day. Felt productive at work, met Chris for lunch at Spices Thai Cafe and enjoyed my favorite Coconut Milk Soup, and then after work got together with Emo and the other Chris at California Pizza Kitchen for a drink and a bite.

Happy to be.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Back In The Day" by The Pharcyde

All Shook Up - San Diego Earthquake

Headphones on and cranked up to 11, I was rocking out to Deep Dish, when I felt my chair go up and down and my desk shake side to side. Was I really rocking out that much in my chair? Nah! It turns out, a moderate earthquake shook San Diego county at 3:28 p.m. The quake, measuring 5.2 magnitude on the Richter Scale, occurred approximately 44 miles South West of Coronado, off the coast of Baja California.

Mother Nature's power always amazes me and reminds me of how fragile humans' lives are. Here's a list of the World's Most Destructive Earthquakes

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Innocente" (Deep Dish Gladiator 2 Remix) by Delirium

Why Americans Will Start Watching Futbol

The reason why Americans will start watching Futbol, or Soccer as they call it, is this year's fine Bulgarian National Team. Reprezentin'...

One of the main reasons why Futbol is not popular with Americans is because it is a low-scoring game. Bulgaria comes to the rescue today by losing 0:5 to Sweden in their first match at the Euro 2004. Yes, that's right. Futbol is no longer a low-scoring game and Americans will embrace it as an enjoyable pastime.

I am in disbelief. Needed group therapy. Got together with Primo at Pasta Bravo to shake off the pain.

0:5

What a shame! But you never know. Bulgaria lost 0:3 in their first game in the 1994 World Cup against Nigeria to then reach the semi-finals. Keep the faith and stay positive. Trying!

Krassy Can Listen To It: "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley

Viva Rosarito!

Took a trip to Rosarito. I'd never been. I'll go again.

This relaxing weekend is making me too lazy to write anything. I am glad at least I had energy to take some pictures:

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Soul Vibration" by J-Walk

Viva Mexico!

Viva Puerto Nuevo! Viva Portugal too - Euro 2004 opened today. Let's have it! England vs Bulgaria at the final. Let's see that.

Checked out JC's new pad today. Painted some walls and had some laughs. Cool place with lots of potential. Great "front yard" too - a huge park where JC can have picnics and throw the frisbee.

Chilled with B2 and DJ Zeus at Brazil By The Bay. Enjoying some fine Brazilian food. Loving the sunshine. Making plans.

In the evening headed down to Mexico to meet with some serious party people. Marie had been hanging out with our friends at the Las Gaviotas community since Thursday night. This place is a slice of Paradise. Unreal. Quiet, beautiful and relaxing.







Enjoyed a spectacular sunset and then went down to Puerto Nuevo for some fresh lobster at Ortega's.







Back at our fiesta casa partied the night away to the tunes of Deee Lite, Michael Jackson, Saturday Night Fever and G Love and Special Sauce. Had a blast watching the classic "This is Spinal Tap" movie. "This one goes to 11." Maybe what goes to 11 is the number of Tequila shots everyone had tonight. At the end of the night we all crashed like the waves below us crash ceaselessly day and night.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson

Little Italy, Big Boy

Met my sis, Jason and JJ in Little Italy. I am loving this area. It's alive. I am finally alive too after a long day of feeling stomach-sick.

Had a nice greasy plate of Fish'N'Chips at the Princess Pub & Grille and enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

Spending time with my nephew JJ really relaxes me. What a great kid! I love to be around him.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Don't Mug Yourself" by The Streets

Oh Boy...

What a wild night! Met B2, Chris and Bonnie at the Yard House. The Lakers got crushed. Ouch! Had a couple of drinks, and although initially that was all that was planned for the evening, headed over to the Beach Bar at the W for a few, then the Sidebar, and finally Deco's. Ran into Primo, Daniel and Pedro and made our way to the VIP lounge. Good times were had by one and all. Phew!

I am sure Marie's having a blast in Mexico with her friends. I already miss her.

RIP Ray Charles.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Hit The Road Jack" by Ray Charles

Master and Commander

I haven't seen the movie Master And Commander yet but tonight I saw the ship that was used in the making of it:

HMS Surprise is currently docked at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Under The Gun" by The Killers

Strange Cravings

I think tonight I had my first 7up ever. By itself.

I don't know why but I would never order or buy 7up. Tonight I met Karey at The Living Room coffeehouse. I was not in the mood for coffee or anything else. The chilled 7up can and I made eye contact. My hand reached and grabbed it. Don't know why. Am I changing?

My mom had told me months ago that I should have more sugar. Maybe it was a subconscious decision on my part to have a 7up.

I love Aquafina.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin

A Delicious Bite of Sun Energy

I am addicted. I have a serious problem. Eating sunflower seeds is my poison. I need to quit. The way smokers reach for their cigarettes after breakfast or when driving in their car is the way I reach for my bag of sunflower seeds. And I chip away. One by one. I am super fast now. How often? I eat them almost every day. Like I already said - I am addicted.

What's scary is that I am so used to the rate at which I can eat sunflower seeds, that I can estimate time and distance based on the amount of seeds I have in my hand to go through. Not kidding. If I am to walk somewhere, I know how many seeds to grab that would last me until I reach my destination. And I know how many little bags I need for a typical drive to LA.

Many people don't like eating sunflower seeds because it is too much work. Lightweights. I love the satisfaction of working hard for getting that one single kernel out of its shell. Like everything else in life, I get greater satisfaction and enjoyment out of an accomplishment that I worked hard for. And no, I never get a bag of sunflower seeds without shells. Don't like the experience of eating those.

According to WholeHealthMD.com, "sunflower seeds are an outstanding source of antioxidant vitamin E, and also supply good amounts of folate (folic acid) and other B vitamins, and minerals including copper, magnesium, and selenium." So there. And yes, sunflowers really do follow the sun. The National Sunflower Association confirms this phenomenon.

Hey, after writing all this, admitting to my addiction, and rethinking how great sunflower seeds are, I feel much better. Just remembered that I need to stop at AM/PM and grab a bag for tomorrow's drive to work.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Since Then" by Ian Pooley

Feeling Lucky

Tickets for The Pixies' live show in San Diego went on sale today. The concert will be the day before my birthday at the UCSD RIMAC Arena. Ticketripoffmaster was charging something like $12 per ticket IN-"convenience" charge. Not cool. So I headed over to UCSD and bought my tickets from the Price Center Box Office free of any additional charges. I felt lucky to grab my tickets before the show sold out.

But my luck didn't end there.

Was telling Kelly how ridiculous Ticketmaster are for charging so much on top of the regular ticket price for a show. She told me about a website where one can purchase tickets for local San Diego gigs at no additional cost. So I checked out the cool CultivateLife.org site and right there on the front page there was a contest for Zero 7 tickets. I entered my e-mail address and left it at that, not hoping to win at all. An hour later I received an e-mail: "You've won tickets for Zero 7" Whoa! This really helped because I was truly split on deciding what show to go see - Zero 7 at 4th&B or The Stills at SOMA.

So tonight I saw Zero 7. Pretty incredible live show. Wasn't sure what to expect as the recordings of the band sound like productions where one is unsure where and how the samples and electronic loops and the organic raw instrumentation merge. Live, the band managed to accomplish exactly that. Seamlessly. The chilled vibe was well-received by the mellow crowd.

I was a little late and missed the beginning of Zero 7's performance because earlier was invited to a "barbecue" that turned out to be a birthday party for Leyla and Ken. Happy Birthday, amigos! I had no idea "barbecue" was the code word for "birthday party." Great times. I wish I could've stayed longer but had to go check out Zero 7 and show my gratitude to CultivateLife.org for hooking me up with a free ticket. Lucky me! Maybe it's time to plan a trip to Vegas.

RIP Ronald Reagan.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Disco Connection" by Isaac Hayes

The Genius of Mo Kin

She is 3 years old and she rawks. Oh, yeah, she can also sing. Wow!

I also saw Something's Gotta Give tonight. Jack Nicholson is still great. There are scenes where he was wearing the same glasses he has been wearing off screen for the past several years. I wonder if it was a condition he put on the table before agreeing to play the part of Harry Sanborn. He was probably going "yes, I can do the rear nudity scene if you let me wear my glasses in the film!"

Anyway, some parts of the movie were entertaining, but overall, I think watching Mo Kin over and over for an hour and a half instead would have had a better effect on me.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Bob's Yer Uncle" by Happy Mondays

"Tuck Your Shirt In! Last Warning!"

Had a good time at the last place that I would normally ever go to. A co-worker was celebrating her birthday at In Cahoots, an all-out Western Country Club. Yeehaw!

I approach the door and I am asked by the cowboy doorman to tuck my t-shirt in. I was thinking, "is this a joke I am supposed to laugh at?" "Seriously, you need to tuck that shirt in!" Ok. So I did. For 3 minutes until I found the crew on the patio. Untuck my t-shirt and felt myself again.

Marie was having a blast, and so was everybody else. I can't believe it myself, but at one point I was actually line-dancing and what not. Hey, it was an adventure, so zip it. It was almost like doing something wrong once, just so you know what it's like.

I got called a couple more times on my untucked t-shirt which quickly became the inside joke for the evening. It was funny to us, but not to Marlboro man. The fourth time he came over to our table, he looked me with a dead serious look in his eyes and through his teeth said "Last warning. Tuck it in or you're out!" I am glad I obeyed, or he would've lassoed me by the ankles and dragged me across the dancefloor like the way Achilles dragged Hector in Troy.

Is this In Cahoots place for real? Being there, I felt like I was in Universal Studios or Disneyland, except there were hundreds of cowboy and cowgirl characters with properly tucked-in shirts having a great time. Unreal.

At the end of the evening hit the Side Bar and felt like we were back in present times. Digging that place. Of course we were hungry and enjoyed some pizza by the slice from Ciro's Pizzeria. Yummy only at 2 in the morning.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "So Young" by Phoenix

Boing Boom Tschak

This musical piece composed entirely using Windows sound files will sure make Kraftwerk, Philip Glass and Aphex Twin jealous. Ingenious.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "A Man Called Sun" by The Verve

No, Thanks! We Mean It!

Had a really nice talk with Marie over a glass of wine and some Italian food. The Olive Garden is a nice place, but the quantity of food served is just way too much. My mom and dad have taught me to finish everything served on my plate, so it's a good thing that I've learned to refuse when offered more food. Although we kept saying "No, thanks", the waitress came back four times asking us if we want more salad or more breadsticks. I mean, I appreciate the desire to make us fat, but come on now - how many big salads and huge portions of breadsticks can a person eat? Actually, that's a silly question; the answer was at the table behind us - many! No wonder they have chairs on wheels at this place - once they stuff you with as much food as they could, the only way to get you out of there would have to be to roll you out.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Baby" by Os Mutantes

Liberated, Escape

I get a great liberating feeling looking at ddd2a, one of John Squire's latest artworks. John Squire was the guitar player and songwriter for The Stone Roses, one of my all-time favorite bands. I have been a long-time fan of John's musical talents. I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting John back in 1998 at Goldfingers in Hollywood. I usually don't get starstruck, but this one time meeting someone that I admire was a very special and surreal experience.

The more I look at John Squire's art creations, the bigger fan of his art talents I become. His Jackson Pollock-inspired paintings graced the covers of most of the Stone Roses album and single releases. (By the way, did you know that you could paint like Jackson Pollock too?) John Squire has held two recent exhibitions in London and Manchester in the past several months. He is also selling prints of his artwork on his art website JohnSquireArt.com. Hmmm...maybe it's time for me to start saving for a copy of either ddd2a or Double Dorsal Doppleganger...or maybe of both.

Krassy Can Listen To It: "Love Spreads" by The Stone Roses