Los Angels., originally uploaded by Kluv32.

I'm just about recovered from our whirlwind weekend out on the Left Coast. The miserable rain back east isn't helping, and I think I still need an extra 12-hours sleep for this weekend, but I'm just about at 100%. Hydro and I took off before sunrise back here in Newark, and landed in La-La right after breakfast. It was a fantastic weekend, thanks to our many Californian amigos.

Friday was spent with Warning at the weird and wonderfilled Warner Bros. lot, taking in all the "showbiz" (& Studio 60). Then, Duck swept me up from the girls and took me to my very first H-wood audition, and a quick peep of the land before meeting up with the rest of the gang (Hydro, Warning, Ms. Rabbit, Spermy, Ding & Steph) at Red Sox Nation west, Sonny McLean's in Santa Monica. After some food, terrible Sox play, a blathering exhaustion-enduced rant about the Bills, and many beers -- it was time to go home and pass out.

Saturday was rise-n-shine & see the land day. Hydro and I went around with Dubs to see the sights, not limited to Santa Monica, the Hills, a nice overlook on Mulholland, and, of course, the Strip and the Chinese theatre. After our action-packed afternoon, we headed over to Sperm and Nelson's pad for a wicked awesome BBQ. More western-friends came to hang out (the Weeelsons, Big China, Mel & Haro, Travis & Courtney), more food (great burgers by Spermy), and more drinks were enjoyed. Perhaps a little too enjoyed, since I neglected to take many pictures that night -- until it was time to go (which was around 5am, east coast time).

Our final day in the Angels was started with an early morning brunch, after which the Ding & Steph tag-team took me off the girls hands (so they could prepare for the Emmys). We hit Will Rogers Beach and met up with the Ducks again, this time to conquor mother ocean. I'd call it a tie. After an hour or so, the snot was nocked out of me pretty damn well (one biggun in particular flipped me upside down and carried me in halfway). But it was much fun. Mucho. We dried out, kicked back, and then ended up heading home. We rolled in Dingess' fat ride to their place for a change, and then over to watch the pre-Emmys (tape delay) with some of the old "Ed" crew. We then sped down the freeway with reckless abandon, "Transporter"-style, so that I would make my meeting w/ Hydro at the airport for the red-eye home. And he didn't even need to use the nitro. We flew home, we slept (a little), and were zombie-fied for the next day.

So, if you want to come along on a picture-reliving of the trip, head over to the Photo Gallery on Flickr. (And, if you're feeling frisky, you can peep the new "geotagging" feature they have by checking out a map laying out where various pictures were taken. I enjoyed that feature so much, I even layed out our Kauai Trip on the map. Ah, memories. If you don't want to look at the whole thing, or are having it run slowwww for you since it's a new feature, you can just hit the little link next to any photo that has a location in the lower right details.)

And lastly, I'd like to thank the awesome blossoms on the West Coast for their hospitality, humor, and huge huevos. They wined me, they dined me, and it was much appreciated. It has only made me miss them more -- so, while the West still might not be the place for me to live, it's a fine, fine place to visit.

West siiiiiide, represent.

Sepia Walkin'., originally uploaded by Kluv32.

So, a miserable, rainy Monday. A weekend in LA filled with sun and little sleep. A red-eye flight home, and the delirium of the ensuing workaday drudgery. This is where I'm at right now. I am about to pass out.

And you all will just have to wait for me to recover (around 24-hours) before I put up my Los Angelenos photographs.

But while you wait -- why don't you join me in congratulating Rounders and Megs on hitting the jackpot with a little ovum-poker (i.e., they're havin' a baby). How awesome is that?

Very awesome, we all say. Very awesome. All hail the forthcoming child of Megoren/Soregan.

BikeRide (3), originally uploaded by Kluv32.

Today was a beautiful day back East. One of those summer days so perfect; filled with coolcrispclean air and the warming glow of the sun's heat lamp. I knew this, even though I sat in my office all day (away from the windows). So, when the school bell rang, I hoofed it double-time to get back home.

Ran upstairs, put on some shorts, hopped on my bike. I took off up the road and headed towards Hoboken, running like the wind from the sunset on my left. It was delicious. (The bikes, our recent aquisition, are everything I could hope them to be. I forgot how much I enjoyed riding as a kid -- the freedom, the breeze in your face, all of it!) So I pedaled around; in, at, away from the sun. I snapped a few pictures (you can see them in my flickr) and enjoyed the moments. A peep at the block J2S and Molls will be moving to next month. A group of people performing some sort of choreographed dancing underneath the light rail tracks (at least twenty!). The sun setting -- watching the glow slowly extinguish itself upon the buildings across the river.

It was a good day.

I hope you had one, too.

(And, after just watching "When the Levees Broke: Part I & II", it made me even more thankful for days like this...)

Fivehead!, originally uploaded by Kluv32.

"I said: 'Then don't look so good!'..."

Looks. Ours has been pretty old for a while now. A little... stale, I guess. So when Hydro went away on vacation and left me to my devices for a few weeks, I did what any red-blooded man would do: I built a new website.

Say hello to Ithacamafia.com, Version 5.

Which, according to my calculations, gives us just under a new version for each year we've been up. Not bad. (Considering I didn't know anything about design back then, and only a little now, I'd say that's pretty good.) But still, it was time to bring the mafia up into 2k6. We needed a cleaning. Thus, I've streamlined and simplified; but, as always, still tried to keep from faking the funk. The highlights:

- Showcasing the efforts of WIMR, which has been a big success over the last few months. It's truly become an excellent community project we've come to enjoy, helmed by everyone's favorite punching-bag, Bobo.
- Direct link to ShuffleThis.com , (parent station of WIMR). Much like the re-launch we have for the main site, in the next month we will be re-starting the IthacaMafia Mixtapes as well. With one in the can already, and 4-5 in the loading dock, we should be good to go. Look for the new mixtape within a week. Get back to work on them mixes you love so much and pass them along to me. (Playlists are also strongly encouraged, and much easier to share than actual Mixtapes...)
- More fun with Flickr. The picture pages have been updated, and now are fully Flickr friendly (since that's where most of us put our pics, anyways). And, if you want to submit your own flickr gallery for the picture pages -- just let me know.
- In case you never memorized the strange, long, "direct" address for the Messageboard, you can now just type in: ithacamafia.com/theboard
- New hotness.

Take a look around, hit me with your feedback stick, and test things out. She may still need some last minute trims here and there, but I think she's looking pretty good. (Considering all the slapdash tweaking I had to do to get her to talk to Blogger...) It's time to get this old girl stretched out and running again.

As always, use Firefox (IE doesn't like us very much), be safe, and Enjoy.

"Ohhh... looks. Oh, man." -- The Student Teachers, "Looks"

Dance Party #6, originally uploaded by Kluv32.

I just wanted to take a quick moment to give a plug for our very own Bobo. I caught his current one-man extravaganza -- "Bob Barth is an Innocent Man" this past Sunday, and it was fantastic. Funny, entertaining and touching; if you're free this Sunday night, you should make plans to come to midtown -- and at the very least, you can hear the man belt out some kickass Folds, Bowie or Costello.

Hydro and I will be going again for a second round of beer, food and good-ol' Bob Barth fun. Be a good little squaw and join us, will you?

"I never fit in. I am a true alternative. And I love being the outcast. That's my role in life, to be an outcast." - Meat Loaf