We can now scratch off Barton Springs from our to-do list.

In the ten years I have lived in Austin, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been to Barton Springs. It’s kind of sad because this place is freakin’ awesome. The water averages about 68 degrees all year round. In the winter, I’m told, it feels nice and warm. On our 100 degree Summer days, the water is nice and refreshing.

We went on a day it was 102 degrees outside…and it was only 11AM. Originally, we had planned to spend the day at the Austin Ice Cream Festival but that ended up being horrible. You would think an Ice Cream Festival would have free ice cream from a variety of places. There were like 5 different businesses there. All of the unknown venders were charging an insane amount of money for their products. I have never even heard of your dinky shop and you want me to pay $5 for a scoop of your organic ice cream…HA! You best be taking your game elsewhere, or I will shiv your ass and make you my prison bitch.

Anyway, after soaking in the crap festival we decided to go to Barton Springs. It was a blast! Even though I haven’t been a ton of times, I’m surely going to miss this place.

If you’re ever in Austin on a warm day, you should think about going to the spring. If you do, make sure you work up a sweat. It’s just that much better after running around. Also, be prepared to have your breathe taken away when you get into the water. It’s quite chilly and will produce shrinkage.

Way back in 2000, a co-worker sent me a music video of a Indian pop singer. At the time I didn’t know it, but his name was Daler Mehndi. When I first set eyes on the awesome ‘Tunak Tunak Tun’ video, I laughed my ass off. I had to have watched that thing a hundred times just that day. Every time, laughing at the cheesiness of it all. But soon, the laughter turned to amazement. It reminded me of all the things I love about the 80’s, bright colors and good music. I started looking into other bhangra artists and I hit the mother load. I couldn’t understand a single word they were saying but damn if it didn’t kick ass.

I went from listening to Indian music to watching clips of Bollywood films. Imagine the most awesome thing you can…now times that by a million. That is how awesome the Indian entertainment industry is. I would love to live in a world where things could be solved by breaking into dance and song. Sounds like a perfect world to me.

Check out one of Daler’s music videos.

If you haven’t seen the Tunak Tunak Tun video, search any video site. It’s everywhere.

A small example of Bollywood awesome-ness. There is a movie called, Shootout At Lokhandwala. The movie has guns and a bunch of bad ass gangstas. In between popping caps in asses, they take a time out to bust into song and dance.

See, you’re never too hard for some dancing with your fellow gangstas. The Bloods and Crips should be watching this. They could learn a thing or two about real Thug Life.

I’ve been in my music listening mode today. It’s a time when I just put my iPod on shuffle and listen to anything that comes on. No skipping allowed. There are certain lyrics that are popping out at me. Most of them are ones that I don’t ever really listen to and others are ones that I’ve heard some much, I ignore.  Some are inspirational, some are stupid, and some just make you go, wtf? I’ve pulled out some of my favorites and thought I would share them with you.

DMX - Good Girls, Bad Guys
F**kin with me? I have you in the back of the Chevelle
Like what (what) hittin it raw dogg in the butt

Kanye West – Stronger
You know how long i’ve been on ya?
Since prince was on apollonia
Since OJ had isotoners

Sadly, I think I own all of Kanye’s CDs. Why? I have no idea. There isn’t any real substance to any of his work. It’s either excellent lyrics like this or sampling the entire Motown catalog.

50 Cent - Wanksta
Cuz we don’t go nowhere without toast

Nuff said

Sisqo - Thong Song
Dumps like a truck, truck, truck.
Thighs like what? what? what?
Let me sing it again!

Please do! I love that song. Even this long after it came out, I find myself randomly busting out these lines.

Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Call me so I can
Come and do it for you
Call me so I can
Come and prove it for you
Call me so I can
Make it juicy for you
Call me so I can
Get it juicy for you

Lupe Fiasco - Little Weapon
Now little Terry got a gun he got from the store
He bought it with the money he got from his chores
He robbed the candy shop told them lay down on the floor
Put the cookies in the bag; take the pennies out the drawer
Khalil got a gun he got from the rebels
To kill the infidels and American devils
A bomb on his waist, a mask on his face
Prays five times a day and listens to heavy metal
Little Alex got a gun he took from his dad
That he snuck into school in his black book bag
His black nail polish, black boots and black hat
He’s gonna blow away the bully that just pushed his ass

Rage Against The Machine - Township Rebellion
Yeah, so you thought you could get with the hardlines
That fill your mind
Thoughts, battles fought
And lessons taught
Yes I’ll display the fitness
And flip like a gymnast
Raise my fist and resist
Asleep, though we stand in the midst
Of a war
Gotta get mine
Gotta get more
Keepin’ the mic warm against the norm
‘Cause what does it offer me?
I think often it’s nothin’ but a coffin

Rage Against The Machine – Freedom
It’s set up like a deck of cards
They’re sending us to early graves
For all the diamonds
They’ll use a pair of clubs to beat the spades
With poetry I paint the pictures that hit
More like the murals that fit
Don’t turn away
Get in front of it

Real Life - Send Me an Angel
It gets in your eyes
It’s making you cry
Don’t know what to do
Don’t know what to do.

Classic! I use this song to measure my maturity level. If I can listen to it and not chuckle to myself, I have reached the next level in maturity. I have yet to reach that next level, I chuckle every time I hear it. HA

Shakira - Whenever, Wherever
Lucky that my breasts
Are small and humble
So you don’t confuse
Them with mountains

Slayer - Necrophiliac
Relentless lust
Of rotting flesh
To thrash the tomb she lies
Heathen whore
Of Satan’s wrath
I spit at your demise

Vanilla Ice - Play that Funky Music
Now you’re amazed
By the VIP posse
Steppin’ so hard
Like a German Nazi

Sade - Smooth Operator
Coast to coast
L.A. to Chicago

Good Times! Some of you may be questioning my playlist. But don’t! I don’t question your sexuality (sometimes I do) so don’t question my taste in music.

Until recently, I can honestly say I didn’t know what true anger really was. I use to think being mad at someone was the same as being angry with them. But I’m finding out these are two, totally, different emotions for me.

This new discovery came this past May while visiting my parents in Virginia. A few days before the trip, there was a little family drama that resulted in the end of a relationship. Although not intended, the results of that drama were my doing. When we got to Virginia, the topic came up before we even got back to the parent’s house. It started off as I expected it to, a little blah this and blah that. What I didn’t expect was for it to get any further than that. This is where anger introduced himself to me. If I was the Incredible Hulk, this is where I would be turning green and tearing off my shirt. But I’m not; I just saw red and wanted to puke.

What actually sparked this? In short, being told what my thoughts and intentions were. Now, you can disagree with me all day long and I could care less. People have different opinions and don’t always share mine. But, telling me I thought something when I didn’t or I intended to do something that I didn’t; really pisses me off. It pisses me off more when I tell you this, and you keep telling me what my intentions are.

Things eventually ended up winding down. But I was drained and ready to fly back home. The trip ended up being fun but the topic popped up more than I cared. The anger went back into its cave to hibernate…but not for long. Even after getting back home, the topic came up on every phone call back home.

Then, I talked with the person at the other end of the drama. The talk was very similar to Virginia. This person was telling me what my intentions and thoughts were. This person, who thinks they know who I am, is telling me my thoughts and intentions. This person, who I have distanced myself away from along time ago, knows me better than I know myself. The anger I felt in Virginia has nothing on this. I felt a fire grow inside me, a fire that continues more than a month later. I can feel the fire spreading and getting out of control. That little bastard, Yoda was right. Anger does lead to hate.

When I’m mad at someone it doesn’t last very long. Mainly because being mad takes way too much energy and I’m too lazy to dedicate that much to something. Anger is different. It’s like a cancer; it starts off with getting mad then grows into something that eats away at you.

The awakening of this emotion has had its positives, even though it doesn’t sound like it. This one thing sparked an emotional awakening, if you will. I went from being emotionally shut off from people to slowly opening back up. That side of things has been awesome. The major downside is it can easily get out of control. Already, it has mutated from anger to something unthinkable towards that one person. The worst part, I can feel it spreading out to other relationships in my family. Something I’m not willing to let happen.

I need to find the balance, where I don’t let the anger consume me and I don’t completely ignore it. That’s one of the fun things about personal growth; finding a good balance.

I’m a little slow in posting this…but better late than never.

In 2003, Alev and I took our first vacation to Cali-forn-i-a. We flew into San Francisco and immediately drove to Los Angeles. The plan was too spend 3-4 days in L.A., then drive back to San Francisco to spend the rest of our time. I learned many things (in typical Rob fashion, some were expensive lessons) on this little trip of ours, and I want to share them with you.

1. Don’t travel without a credit card…

During the planning (by planning, I mean 10 minutes of web searches) of our trip, I found renting a car would be expensive for us. We were both under 25 years old, so we would need to pay a $50 a day on top of the normal rental fees. This would run us about $500+ just for a freaking car. Screw that!

Being the smart person I am, I booked a rental car using my work’s corporate channels. Going this route would eliminate the underage fees. Sweet! Being the dumbass I can be (at the time I thought I was being smart), I decided to leave all of my credit cards at home. I was trying to pay them down and didn’t want to rack up more charges.

We get to San Francisco and head to the Hertz desk(…or enterprise, I can’t remember). After all the normal BS, they ask for a credit card, so I handed them my Check Card. The conversation went a little something like this.

Hertz douche*: We don’t accept Check Cards to put a hold against.

SRR: What the hell you talking about Willis?

Hertz douche: Sorry Sir. We can’t put a hold against this. There is no telling if you have available funds or not.

SRR: Do I need to jump over this counter and pistol whip you!?!?

Hertz dooouuchhe: *crapping pants*

SRR: Ok, What can we do to get around this?

Hertz douche: Well, sir, Do you have your Employer’s badge on you?

SRR: Uh no. Why would I have this on me?

Hertz: This is a business reservation. You’re traveling for business purposes, right?

SRR: ohhhh yeah! *pat pockets for badge* I think I left my badge at home.

*Referring to the employee as a douche is just me projecting my douche-ness onto him

This went on for awhile. I even tried to convince them Alev was a employee of the company.  They wanted to see her badge…dammit! They could smell the BS I was throwing their way.  So, we ended up having to go to Enterprise and rent a Lancer, paying the underage fees.

2. I love California

California is beautiful! In the 5 years since our vacation, I still dream of it. If I could afford it, I would be there in a heartbeat.

Is it so expensive to keep people from moving there? If so, it’s working.

3. Don’t trust pictures on a Hotel’s website…or get sucked in with packages

We found our hotel in L.A. from a web search. They were offering a room with a king sized bed and a Universal Studios package for a really good price. The place looked nice and they had a clean looking pool, so we booked it. After driving for a few hours, we get in the vicinity of our hotel and the neighborhood is looking a little sketchy. The hotel itself looked like a crack den you would see in the movies. People were in drunken stupors sitting in front of their room doors, rooms looked like they haven’t been cleaned since the 40’s, and the pool was dirty…brown water and all. I would say I was pissed but I was more scared of getting shived. We went to check in and it turns out they didn’t have a king bed available. Without hesitating, I used that opportunity to throw a fit, luckily getting out of the booking. We drove around and ended up finding the Radisson off of Ventura.

On a side note, another young couple walked into the sleaze hotel right behind us. They had the “Oh Shit!” look on their face. I wonder if they found a way to get out of it.

4. Don’t waste time on something you can do back home

On one of our days in L.A., because we were no longer tied to going to Universal Studios, decided to visit Six Flags Magic Mountain.

What’s wrong with this?

We live in Austin, Texas. At the time, we had 3 Six Flags (Over Texas, Fiesta Texas, and AstroWorld) within a 3 hour drive. For the most part, one Six Flags is really no different than another one. We realized this a couple hours into our time at Magic Mountain. We gave up the chance to go to Universal Studios…for Six Flags. Something we can’t do back at home versus something we can.

Great choice!

5. I love me some dim sum!

Finally, we get to the point of this blog entry.

One of my personal to-dos in San Francisco was to visit Chinatown and eat! We weren’t really picky about which place, all of them had to be good and authentic. The entrance to the place we picked had a narrow staircase to the second floor. I could swear this is how some muggings started in movies. Once we got to the hostess, it looked like I expected, a ton of Asian decor and dim lighting. Looking around, we were the only people in this place. From watching the Food Network, I’ve learned you can spot the good places by how busy they are. So I sat down already thinking about running for the door. But before I could, they roll this cart over to us, and ask us if we would like some steamed somethings. I was kind of taken off guard because I thought “Wow, this is the coolest complementary thing ever, much better than fortune cookies”. We found some dishes on the menu we thought looked good and ordered. Meanwhile, they are still coming by and asking us if we wanted these steamed dumplings, chicken foot, etc. Hell yeah! By the time our meals came we were full…of tasty steamed (I passed on the chicken feet…that time) deliciousness. We got our bill and it was $60!! I knew it was too good to be true, those things weren’t free. On our way out, I noticed their sign saying they serve dim sum. Prior to this, I don’t think I had even heard of dim sum before. If I had, it must have gone in one ear and out the other.

When we got back to Austin, we searched around for places that serve dim sum. We found one called T&S. The place looked like it should have been condemned and their dim sum tasted like it came out of Swamp Thing’s ass. It left me craving, even more, for good dim sum. By the time we did find another place, I guess I had forgotten what good dim sum was. We ate mediocre dim sum, thinking it was good, for the next few years. It wasn’t until last year, I think, that we came across Shanghai Chinese and Dim Sum. Their dim sum gave me flashbacks to the freshness and greatness of the one in San Fran. I think their dim sum comes directly from the hands of the dim sum gods. Actually I’m pretty sure of it.

We have been going there pretty regularly ever since and that’s why it’s on our to-do list. From my research of Raleigh, the best dim sum place is the best of the worst.

I needed to get my fill and I did.

Here are some, bad, pictures of the good times.

I’m going to miss you! I’ll write you!

Shrimp Rice Noodle

I kid you not, when I say these were nearly empty seconds after they were on the table.

Sharon, Eric, and a friend of a friend

Good Times!!

Man, this turned into a long post that ultimately was about dim sum. This is bound to happen when you’re in a DB2 class and bored out of your mind.

I do have one more lesson learned from our California trip. It is retarded to have a rental car in San Fran when you’re staying downtown. Aside from the outrageous price we’re paying for the rental, we had to pay the outrageous parking fees of $25 a day. The car sat in the garage for 3 days while we walked around downtown.

Even with all of the mistakes we made, it was a fun trip and I can’t wait to go back.