memoryloot

I am happy to announce that last night’s 3rd annual Halloween Costume Party was a smashing success. Everybody had a great time with plenty of food and entertainment to last us from 7pm to 2am at Gameworks in Long Beach.

This year’s theme was cartoon characters before the 1990s. I went as Alvin while Adalyn went as Brittany. My costume was well-received by all the patrons of Gameworks. Everywhere I went, I got looks and people yelling “Alvin!” I felt like a celebrity with people giving me props. The highlight of the evening was winning the Best Male Costume amongst my friends and also with the help of Brittany, winning the best costume out of the whole place! I owe it all to my baby for making this unbelievable costume. Thanks hon! And thanks to all that organized the party. I had a blast. So next year’s theme: Famous Historical People.

Playing Texas Hold’em online for the past couple weeks (see previous post) has made me itching to play my next ring game. So last night I decided to see if I can catch a game with the usual suspects. Unfortunately almost everybody I play with is out of town. So I decided to do the next best thing. I called up Shon and we headed out to the Hustler Casino in Gardena. For those who haven’t been, there isn’t any naked people parading around like a strip joint. Instead this is a premiere casino filled with tables and tables of card games. On most of these tables Texas Hold’em was the game of choice.

For a $50 buy-in you’re on a $1/$2 No Limit Texas Hold’em table. Of course there was a huge waiting line. Because of this huge waiting list, they decided to open up a new table for us. This was great because I hate to step into a game with only $50 while everybody else is stacked up from hours and hours of play. So after 3 hours of grinding it out I walk away up $41. Not bad for a first time No Limit casino virgin!

Yes I am hooked! After seeing this site on my company’s intranet, I decided to sign up and see what’s going on. I did not think I was going to be this into it but I am. This is a free Texas Hold’em site which lets you play multiple tournaments for a chance to play at the final tournament in November for a prize.

For a free site, it is alot of fun. People are not calling you down like the other free sites. You don’t have to download any 3rd party programs to play. This game is based off of a good Flash program. From time to time, it does lock out, but for the most part it is very good for what you get. I recommend joining and play a few rounds. I’ve been able to make it to at least top 100 every time I play. So look for me there. I’m jonthelam. If anything this is a good place to practice for your next ring game. Its definitely made me a more patient player.

If you’re seeing this post, you’re on my new server. Welcome! I just moved over from my old host to this one. That’s why I haven’t been posting as frequently as I wanted to. Thank you Techsoluxions for providing hosting. This move will allow me to separate my “business” from my “play” and allow me to post pictures liberally. At least I know how to migrate so if I need to move, I can do it without hesitation.

Find Portillo’s

On a daily basis I am constantly reminded by my co-worker/friend, Jamie, how great all things Chicago is. About two weeks ago she sent me an e-mail message that her favorite hot dog stand in Chicago is coming to California. So this weekend, I decided to head out to visit the one and only Portillo’s in Buena Park. After a quick 30 minute drive down to Buena Park (would’ve taken me 20 minutes if it wasn’t for the Knotts Scary Farm crowd), I arrive at a bustling parking lot and equally bustling restaurant. The drive-thru lane was filled with idle vehicles waiting to put in their orders. There were lines everywhere. Lines to order, lines to pick up your food, and lines to the desserts. The restaurant resembles an indoor hot dog stand or a fancy cafeteria. You don’t have a host to take you to an open seat. Instead you just go line up, order your food, pick up your food, find an open table and eat. Want dessert? Go line up for a dedicated line for dessert. There’s also seating outside in a patio area for those looking for fresh air. The restaurant is littered with numerous items relating to Chicago, I presume.

As for the food… Well, they’re hot dogs. Only thing special about them are the numerous items they top these things with. I ordered a regular hot dog and the Char-Grilled Maxwell Street Style Polish, 2 regular drinks, and a regular french fries for $13. The regular hot dog came with a slice of pickle, tomatoes, relish, onions, and chili peppers. The polish dog came with grilled onions and mustard. The bread was a bit moist because of the wrapper. The hot dog was too sour for my taste, but the polish dog was delicious. Even had to order another one to satisfy my hunger. Because of the atmosphere of people looking and waiting for seats, we felt rushed eating our meal. So for a total of $20, my girlfriend and I walked out of the chaotic scene with filled bellies.

The food is delicious but I wouldn’t say it was worth the price I paid for it. Perhaps the bustling crowd was just an anomaly considering that it just opened last Tuesday. For what its worth, I would definitely come back here instead of driving to the famous Pink’s Hot Dogs in Hollywood and wait in a much longer line to pay for overpriced hot dogs. Why drive so far to spend so much on hot dogs?

Click on the image above to view more pictures of Portillo’s.

Finally went to a driving range at lunch. Yes for the first time in my life I tried hitting the golf balls. It was actually pretty fun. Looking forward to doing this again and maybe start playing golf and not minature golf.

Which File Extension are You?

Saw this on other people’s blogs so I thought I give it a try. Great I’m a boring PowerPoint presentation.

Got time to kill? Check out BMW Films. This year’s 3 films: Hostage, Ticker, and Beat The Devil continues to highlight a BMW vehicle (this recent installment, being the Z4 Roadster) as well as the creative talents of the director and crew. Our star Clive Owen, is the recurring character through-out all these short films. Each film is a mini-action sequence from the likes of a 007 movie or The Transporter. The main premise of these films, besides the intriguing story line, is the incredible display of vehicular control. It makes you want to go to your nearest BMW dealer and experience it yourself. If this isn’t effective marketing, I don’t know what is.

For a limited time until October 21st, get your free copy of all 8 films on DVD. BMW owners gets it for free while the rest of us have to pay a $3.75 shipping fee + applicable sales tax ($0.31 for CA).

I decided to cease my activities over at Xanga and begin my new chapter here. Xanga was a good site to get my feet wet and help me maintain several relationships I had with people all around the world. Nevertheless, this was the natural progression. This should be a good tie in with a photo album. WordPress rocks! Thanks Alex for the recommendation of using WordPress and for planting the idea of hosting my own blog.

My very own private blog with integrated photo album. WordPress, Gallery 2, Random-Image Theme and the WPG2 Plug-in are the technologies that made this site possible.