January 2012
4 posts
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Shape Shifters →
I took a risk and wrote this ambitious article on spec. Luckily my hard work paid off – San Diego Magazine decided to publish it. Check out the print edition if you can. The photographer did an amazing job.
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Birthday Swell
It was my birthday last Wednesday. Luckily there was swell in the water, so I decided to celebrate by going surfing. With plenty of time on my hands, paddling out at Black’s Beach - San Diego’s best and least accesible spot - seemed like a no-brainer.
Yet as I drove near Torrey Pines, I couldn’t think of a more fitting place to ring in my birthday. The wave quality is no where...
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No Longer Watching Football while Stacking Apples
As a long-time 49ers fan, the 49ers/Saints game was incredible, especially since I’ve barely watched the 49ers these past five seasons - not by choice, mind you.
Prior to this season, it was really hard for me to follow football. I worked at a grocery store for more than five years, which meant spending every Sunday afternoon in the produce department. Needless to say, I almost never got...
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A Dance with the Dentist (and the Law)
I was rear-ended on the freeway several months back. My bumper was dented, the passenger side of my car was scraped up and my mirror was cleanly plucked off by a girl’s Toyota Camry.
Thankfully we were both OK.
Our cars driveable, we high-tailed it off the freeway. She called 911 and we waited for the police to arrive in a nearby Vons parking lot. The impact of metal-on-metal was...
December 2011
6 posts
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Best. Christmas Present. Ever.
This hilarious Jimmy Kimmel clip featuring parents giving their kids terrible presents on purpose reminds me of my favorite gift-giving story.
On Christmas Eve two years ago, most of my extended family had finished tearing off the wrapping paper enveloping their presents. Content with our new gifts, a few of my family members and I started growing antsy after an hour or so passed, so we decided...
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What Good Is It To Sing Helplessness Blues?
Ahh man, up against the same problem so many recent graduates are facing: where are the jerbs?
I’ve done pretty well with freelancing lately. But I want something more consistent, a job where I’m plugged into a larger group of individuals I can learn from and teach. Sounds corny, but I want to do be a part of something bigger than myself, contributing to a greater purpose and...
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Photos from the Encinitas Holiday Parade →
With the help of Jenn (the New Yorker who inspired a previous post), I snapped some pictures of the reveling for one of the websites I freelance for. First time taking pictures at night. Learned it involves praying that photos don’t come out (a) too dark or (b) too blurry (or both).
Speaking of Jenn, I know what you’re thinking: “Didn’t you listen to any of our romantic...
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WatchDane Reynolds + Joy Divsion = So sick!
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Me: I had a dream we did acid last night. And then I had another dream that I told you about it. So now I’m telling you.
Gary: That’s funny. This girl I was with last night wants to do it this holiday season. It’s a great time.
Me: It was the most vivid dream. Lots of swirling images. Feel like I’ve done acid without ever touching the stuff.
Gary: Maybe you were a...
November 2011
4 posts
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Calling All San Diegans (Especially Ladies)
I met a girl from New York when I was in Amsterdam this summer, and now she’s visiting me for more than a week. She’ll be in town on Saturday. Hooray.
My usual hangouts include a dive bar, the chair in front of my computer and Black’s Beach (for the surfing, not the nakedness). Somehow I don’t think these places will impress her. Well, who knows, she might have a thing...
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Wall: The Journey Up →
I wrote this article about the first person with cerebral palsy to climb El Capitan. Super, super inspiring. Everyone involved was incredibly determined and talented. This is short notice, but if you’re around Encinitas, a documentary of the feat is playing at La Paloma at 8 p.m.
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Last Saturday I saw Midnight in Paris with my sister. It made me super nostalgic for Paris and Europe in general, which is odd because the message of the movie is to enjoy the present rather than escape to the past. Woops.
October 2011
7 posts
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Q&A with Author of 'Ghost Wave: The Discovery of... →
This was my first time doing a Q&A. I’m really happy with how it turned out. The guy I interviewed wrote an incredible book about the surfers and history behind Cortes Bank.
As he says in the article:
“In a weird way it’s a story that kind of parallels the American experience. I know that sounds like a grandiose thing to say, but you have this place that was first inhabited by...
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It’s currently 4:23 a.m. Can’t sleep because I’m too excited to surf. Christ, I’m like a little boy waiting for Christmas.
September 2011
3 posts
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Front Page Material
Not to make Tumblr a dumping ground for all of my work, but I wrote this story about a surfer with an unconventional outlook and business model for the Union-Tribune before I left for Europe. I’m really proud of the piece - it made the front page of the sports section.
The story was published while I was in Europe, so I didn’t get my hands on the physical copy until a few months...
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Back in Town
I got back from Europe a month ago. What an awesome trip. As my previous post said, I blogged about the whole thing over at Wordpress. Looking at some of the things I wrote during the 80-day journey, I’m already nostalgic.
Honestly, I’m not quite sure why I still have a Tumblr. I definitely don’t fit the mold of the average blogger here. Most of my entries are over 200 words...
July 2011
1 post
I'm gone!
Hey Tumblrs, no matter how much you beg me to come back - mainly by taking the form of silence - I’m blogging about Europe over at Wordpress. I maintain that European drivel is at least 65 percent more readable than American drivel. Check it out! Plus I’m actually posting pics!
http://gradturnedvagabond.wordpress.com/
April 2011
8 posts
Bon Voyage Vons
So here it is: I told my work a week ago I’m quitting to go to Europe for 80 days this summer.
Initial feelings? Excited… and pretty anxious. I began working at Von’s late in 2005. It’s been a part of my life for song long that it feels surreal to be leaving. Weird to think I could be so attached to something that I’m usually complaining about. In fact, the...
My aunt passed away more than a week ago. She lost a long battle with cancer a month before turning 50. As my mom’s eulogy noted, even with an unrelenting sickness that took a toll on her body, she never complained or gave up hope. An awful disease couldn’t hold her spirits down or extinguish her sense of humor. For instance, on her death bed, showing showing flashes of dark wit, my...
Damn you SDSU!
I received my diploma from SDSU last month. I’m not one for mementos and trophies and the like, so for the first few weeks it rested by my bed, acting as a nightstand cover for my retainer. Taking the piss out of people who are overly concerned with what’s essentially a piece of paper, I decided to hang my diploma up on my wall sans frame and with a single piece of clear tape a few...
Mastered the art of quickly changing in and out of my wetsuit on the 101 without flashing people driving by - a lesser man would be considered a nudist by now.
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March 2011
3 posts
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Traveling
So I’ve hinted at this in other posts, but now it’s official: Starting at the end of May, I’m going to Europe for 80 days!
As excited as I am, it wasn’t exactly an easy decision. I’ll have to quit a surprisingly well paying job at Von’s (got in before the economy went south). Luckily I have a few freelance gigs that could be a steady, albeit small source of...
DON'T CHOO FORGET ABOUT ME
The large amount of time that’s passed between this post and my last might suggest I’ve once again been neglecting my Tumblr. Two words: not true. I have since written two fairly long posts, but I deemed them unsuitable for the public. You’re not missing much, mainly just a little post-graduation self doubt - nothing major, though. Just wanted to dismiss rumors that I was...
Putting my Ipod on continuous shuffle. Working through 8 gigs of music. Day three of this journey. No, I don’t have any Journey on my Ipod - thank God.
February 2011
8 posts
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Venice
I was re-reading all of my posts from the last year and realized something very important: I never finished my account of traveling through Europe! (otherwise known as Drunken European Adventures)
Sorry I left you dangling for more than six months tumblers (after all, I know you’ve printed out all of my posts and placed them next to a candle that’s perpetually lit). Just be grateful...
Journal
When I was in fourth grade I kept a diary as part of a class assignment. Unfortunately, after much thought, I tossed the diary into a dumpster before I moved from Utah to California when I was 17.
I did this because I thought I was too nostalgic, too stuck in the past. Always looking back was causing me to become stagnant in life, or so I thought. I was always comparing my present situation to an...
Young Friends Win Playwright Award →
I wrote this short article for Patch about two 12-year-olds who won a playwright award. I was completely blown away by articulate these girls are. Makes me feel like a 24-year-old schlub.
Earthquake Tests at UCSD →
You getta see my Final Cut Pro skills and hear my sexy voice.
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Not really a fan of Kerouac, but this was always one of my favorite quotes: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see...
Goodbye old computer
I recently replaced my old HP computer with a new Mac. Unlike others, I’m not going to unceremoniously toss my old laptop in the dumpster. My old HP has been choked by viruses and overheats at the drop of a hat, but it’s been through thick and thin with me, so I feel I owe it a proper eulogy.
Dear HP,
Perhaps more than anything or anyone, you’ve witnessed and documented my...
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Looking for a chill roommate. Chill.
I was helping my friend look for apartments on Craigslist when we came across this ad. For posterity, the ad in its entirety:
$500 chill roomates 420 friendly
Hey my name is josh I’m 20 chill college student wit a room for rent in a chill apartment the master bedroom is available with no deposit u have ur own bathroom as well. Male of female don’t matter just want to find a chill...
January 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Writing
It’s funny, I feel like I’m getting better at journalism, but any other writing I do feels like drivel. I miss writing humor columns and worry that I don’t have that ability anymore. Not that I was insanely gifted or anything before, but it’s a lot harder for me to write anything funny these days. Maybe I’m just really, really out of practice. Guess I should be...
Surf! →
I wrote this surf guide detailing all the major spots in San Diego for San Diego Magazine. Check it out!
Camera recommendations for filming?
I just got a new Mac and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of Final Cut Pro for a few journalism stories in the future. I’m pretty well versed in FCP, but since I graduated from SDSU, I no longer have the film department’s high-tech gear at my disposal. Should I go with a Flip? I’m not too concerned about film quality, but I wanted something that doesn’t shake...
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New things
Consider it a post-graduation life crisis, but I’m really into trying new things lately. Scratched skydiving off my list, next up: yoga?
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Produce Department Chronicles
It’s a question that often rattles in my head: Are the crazy drawn to Von’s or does Von’s breed crazy? To explore this question, I’m going to be writing more about the eccentric characters who clean, stack and cull produce on a daily basis with me. Meet my first hilarious case study.
My coworker has an odd way of inquiring whether customers need help at the grocery...
December 2010
1 post
Um, I just graduated college. It’s a bit scary, the real world awaits.
Yesterday, my last day of school, was a perfect summation of my college career. I wrote a six page paper in two hours. When that was finished, I joined my group to put the finishing touches on a marketing presentation. Rather than rehearse what we were going to say, we went to Louie’s and grabbed a few beers....