Every Now & Then I Think About Then & Now

Since I accidentally fell asleep at 7pm and woke up at 10pm, I’ve been wide awake the past few hours even though I have to wake up at 4:30AM.  So what better way to waste time than to read old LiveJournal entries?

Here is a survey that likes to skip numbers that I took on July 30, 2007. I have updated the survey.

1. When’s the last time you ran?

Then: Anytime I go up or down the stairs.

Now: A few days ago trying to catch the employee bus back to the employee parking lot.  Ideally you want to catch it right before it leaves.  To miss it could add another 45 minutes until you get home.  That’s 45 more minutes of sadness.

2. Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them?

Then: Yes, they have a lot in common with my heart.

Now: For the first time in my life, I don’t think they do.

3. What are you reading right now?

Then: LJ.

Now: Probably too much into things.

4. Is your lipgloss poppin’?

Then: Only if the laffy taffy is shakin.

Now: Nope, it’s usually my ears.

5. When is the last time you saw the person you like/liked?

Then: Tonight.

Now: Next Tuesday.

6. What’s your best physical feature?

Then: After 21 years, I finally got my ears to stop sticking out.

Now: I’ve gotten pretty good at cutting my nails.  Although, my favorite nail clippers got confiscated 😦

7. Can you dance?

Then: I am southern Baptist.

Now: Not as well as Fletcher.

8. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep at night?

Then: I usually fulfill it during the day.

Now: If I want to get 8 hours of sleep, I usually have to piece it together over 48 hours.

11. Think of all your exes. Would any of them take you back?

Then: I bet their boyfriends would want to take me out back first.

Now: I bet their husbands would want to take me out back first.

12. If anyone came to your house on your “lazy days” what would you be wearing?

Then: Anything that I have been wearing this summer.

Now: Anything I was wearing that summer.

13. Who last grabbed your butt?

Then: Caleb?…that might have been my crotch.

Now: Probably still Caleb if you count my crotch as my butt.

14. Have you ever been on your school’s track team?

Then: No.

Now: Just the fast track to success!!!

15. Do you own a pair of Converse?

Then: No.

Now: It’s still a no.

16. Who did you copy and paste this survey from?

Then: Supermorgo.

Now: Asianpersuasian.

17. Do you eat raw cookie dough?

Then: No.

Now: No, and that’s why I’m still alive now.

18. Have you ever kicked a vending machine?

Then: Yes.

Now: I’m going to have to think about this one for a second.  Oh wait…apparently I have.

19. Don’t you hate when the radio ruins good songs by playing a bad one?

Then: Only GREAT songs deserve to be on the radio.

Now: I hate when Spotify ruins good albums by putting in annoying ads.

21. Do you watch Trading Spaces?

Then: No.

Now: Is that show still on?

24. Are you cocky?

Then: I have these boxers that have cocks all over them. So I guess on those days I am.

Now: Only on days when I put Sriacha in my pho.

25. What is the last movie you watched?

Then: The Bourne Supremacy.

Now: I seriously can’t remember.  Maybe The Bourne Supremacy?

26. What kind of computer do you have?

Then: Macbook Pro.

Now:  Macbrook Pro is still alive and well.

27. What is your favorite planet?

Then: The sun.

Now: Pluto, oh wait.

28. What time is it?

Then: Too late.

Now: 0035 (I learned the 24 hour clock since then).

29. Who stole your oatmeal?

Then: David Ramirez.

Now: The lack of a microwave.  I refuse to cook it on a stove.

30. Could you live without a computer?

Then: Probably not. The whole world runs on computers. If you took them all away, there would be chaos.

Now: No, computers fly planes, not pilots.

33. At what age did you find out that Santa wasn’t real?

Then: Which Santa, Santa Anna?

Now: Has anyone figured out which Santa this is?

35. Are you in high school?

Then: No.

Now:  No, but it’s still fun to act like it sometimes.

45. Is anyone on your bad side?

Then: No, no one else is in the room.

Now: Most likely someone will be by the end of tomorrow from the lack of sleep I’m getting.

46. What jewelry are you wearing?

Then: None.

Now:  Just my grill.  No big deal.

47. What’s the first thing you do when you get online?

Then: Check stuff.

Now: Pump them tunes!

49. Do you watch Grey’s Anatomy?

Then: Waste of time.

Now: Is this show still on?

5O. How do most people spell your name?

Then: Most people use letters.

Now: T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

51. Would you wear your boyfriends/girlfriends clothes?

Then: Do shoes count?

Now: If shoes counted, I’m guilty.

56. What are you doing tomorrow?

Then: Attempting to be productive.

Now: Go home day!

57. Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson?

Then: No.

Now: Well the longer Justin Timberlake lives, the closer he is to death.  So yes.

60. Will you keep your last name when you get married?

Then: Yes.

Now: Yes.

62. When is the last time you left your house?

Then: A few hours ago.

Now: Yesterday.

67. Do you return your cart?

Then: Yes.

Now: It’s all about the basket.

69. Do you have a dishwasher?

Then: No.

Now: Yes, but it’s broken.  But apparently we are getting a new one.  I’d rather have a new microwave though.

70. What noise do you hear?

Then: Zac.

Now: It’s still Zac.

71. Would you survive in prison?

Then: If Paris Hilton can do it, I’m sure I could.

Now: The kind that Lindsay Lohan goes to.

73.What’s your ideal boy/girlfriend?

Then: I would want God to choose half for me.

Now: I’m still trying to figure out what I meant from my answer 4 years ago.

74. do you like babies?

Then: I am a vegetarian.

Now:  I have a pretty awesome nephew.

75. what are you thinking about?

Then: The w in what is not capitalized, and I really want to correct it.

Now: Reading the answer about the “w” made me think about George W. Bush.  Must clear my mind.

76. If all of your friends were going on a road trip, would you?

Then: It depends on where we are going.

Now: Maybe if all my friends were going on a road trip to all jump off a bridge.  In all seriousness, I would love to go on a long long long road trip.  Just no more planes.

77. Do you know anyone with the same name as you?

Then: I guess.

Now: Oh Hai! Just my neighbor!

78. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Then: Not enough.

Now: Can I include the ones that were found in the barn behind my house?

80. Whats the last thing you drank?

Then: McDonald’s Sweet Tea.

Now: Water.

81. What service is your cell phone?

Then: Verizon.

Now: Verizon4eva.

84.What’s your middle name?

Then: David.

Now: Dave.

85. Where is your cell phone?

Then: It is on my desk charging.

Now: Plugged into my computer charging.

86. Is your phone on vibrate or ring?

Then: “Style: Master Volume”

Now: Ring.

87. What brand are your pants right now?

Then: I am not wearing pants right now.

Now: I am still not wearing pants.

88. Ever been to Georgia?

Then: Yes.

Now: I was there on Saturday.

91. What irritates you most on the internet?

Then: Viruses…oh wait, I don’t get those.

Now: I can get pretty upset when Twitter is down.

92. Do you watch movies with your parents?

Then: Yes. We usually try to go to the theatre on Christmas day.

Now: Christmas is right around the corner!

93. What’s your favorite color?

Then: Purple.

Now: Still purple.

94. Favorite song?

Then: Right now it’s probably a Christopher Miner song.

Now: According to Last.fm, I’ve listened to Greg Laswell’s “How The Day Sounds” the most in the past few days.

95. What color is your car?

Then: Silver.

Now: Same color, different car.  R.I.P. Asian Mobile.

96. What song best describes your life right now?

Then: “Miracle”-Cascada

Now: “How The Day Sounds”-Greg Laswell

98. Are you taking college classes right now?

Then: Starting sometime in August I will be.

Now: Nope, maybe someday I will again though.

99. What are you listening to?

Then: “All Things Bright and Beautiful”-Christopher Miner

Now: “I Don’t Care”-Justin Townes Earle

100. What’s your favorite drink?

Then: Milos Famous Sweet Tea.

Now: Bourbon.

101. Do you like sushi?

Then: I have probably spent well over $300 on it this past year.

Now: Wild Wasabi sushi lunch buffet!!!

102. Do you get your hair cut every month?

Then: No, but I get my eyebrows cut once a lifetime.

Now: I still can’t believe that lady cut my eyebrows.

103. Do you go online every day?

Then: If Comcast or the neighbors allow it.

Now: iPhone baby!

104. Do you enjoy your personality?

Then: It really depends on which one I pick out for the moment.

Now: I’m kind of split…

105. Do you know anyone that has changed your life?

Then: JESUS CHRIST

Now: JESUS H. CHRIST

 

I had a pretty awesome Thanksgiving this year.  I can’t complain.  I spent it with some awesome friends in Nashville.

My life has changed so much since last Thanksgiving.  Last Thanksgiving I was on my way to Indianapolis for three weeks of training.  When I left that day, I had no idea how much the decision to follow a dream would impact me and change my life.  It’s pretty incredible to think about how much my life has changed in the last 365 days.  It reminds me of that scene in the Lion King where young Simba is walking across the bridge and transforms into an adult.  That’s probably the best way I can describe this past year.

I’ve been places and seen things I probably never would have before.  I’ve met amazing people and have made memories I’ll never forget.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to have a job that allows me to experience those things.  At the same time, this year I’ve made mistakes and learned some hard lessons.  Being gone a lot has given me a perspective that I never had before and has helped me to know what it is I really miss and care about.  At the end of the day, it’s all about the people in your life.  Nothing else really matters.  I have some incredible people in my life.  And that is what I’m most thankful for.

Today was a good day.

Tumblr

Because my life is so exciting and so many people care, I thought I needed to have a tumblr as well:  http://hellodavidnguyen.tumblr.com/.

SFO-PDX

I finally made it out to San Francisco and Portland.  Those are two cities I’ve always wanted to visit and never had.  I flew out to San Francisco from Charlotte and met up with my buddy there.  I didn’t really have any preconceived ideas about San Fran.  But here are a few things I’ve come to find out about San Fran:

•  Parking does not exist.
• Asian people do exist outside of Asia.  I am not alone.
• Seeing someone smoke a joint in a public place is not uncommon.
• San Fran kind of reminds me of NYC without skyscrapers and better scenery.
• Parking does not exist.

After spending a few days in San Fran, we drove up to Portland.  I somehow managed to stay awake the majority of the drive.  It could be because I was looking forward to a long drive.  I realized the other day that the longest drive I’ve done this year is probably 45 minutes.  So it was nice just to be in a car instead of a plane and be able to take in the new scenery.

 

Somewhere in Oregon we stopped to get a healthy dinner of McDonald’s.  As I’m eating my nuggets outside on the hood of the car, a dude in a minivan pulls up behind me and says, “Don’t feed the bears!”  I just look at the guy.  I don’t even know what to say to him.  He says to me again, “Don’t feed the bears!” I gave him a confused look.  It’s not like I’m in the middle of a park or in a forest.  I’m in a McDonald’s parking lot.  Then he says, “You know…the kittens.” He pointed to some random kittens that were in the parking lot eyeing my food.  I just laughed.  He then proceeded to tell me about how Oregon was a great place to live because they don’t have earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes like other places.  If only that moment could have been captured on video.

 

We spent the next few days in Portland.  All I really knew about Portland were hipsters, putting birds on things, Voodoo Doughnuts, local food, good beer, and beautiful nature.  It didn’t let me down.  It was all that and more.  Here are a few things I found out about Portland:

• They use dollar coins there and are not afraid to give them back as change.
• There are a lot of young homeless people there.  Makes me really sad.
• They have amazing food carts!
• They don’t pronounce words like you would expect i.e. couch, Willamette, Tigard, etc…
• Parking does exist.

Overall, it was an awesome trip.  I saw old friends, made new ones, had amazing food and drinks, and made incredible memories.  I have a ton of photos thanks to my iPhone.  All the photos are below.  If you want to know what it is you’re looking at, I took the time to make captions and descriptions.  That’s all I have for now.

My New Friend

Welcome To San Francisco

Riding The BART

The Streets

Street Food

Chillin

Mission Bar

After Party

Fur Coat

Random Note

Gas Prices

The Hills

Driving Across

Under The Bridge

Classic Tourist Shot 1

Classic Tourist Shot 2

Golden Gate

Golden Sunset

Boys Will Be Bros

Streets Of Oakland

Chef John Smith

Breakfast Is Served

Breakfast With The Sprinkle Lab

In And Out Burger

Driving On American Soil

Mt. Shasta

The Views

Don’t Feed The Bears

Alder Food Carts

Vietnamese!

Banh Mi

Me & Pete

Friends

Voodoo Doughnut

Doughnuts!

Columbia River Gorge

Multnomah Falls

Chasing Waterfalls

View From WA

Another View

Being One With Nature

Powell’s Books

Old Bathroom

Last Night In Portland

Shooting With A Straw

From Here To Anywhere

Some days my life is sooooo exciting…

I just want you to make the days move easy.

I’ve come to learn that life is too short to take anything for granted.  I want to live life to the fullest and make the most of it.  So I did just that and decided to take a last minute trip to Austin on Labor Day to spend time with a buddy of mine.  I had a great time and met some incredible people.

Wildfires In Texas

Fires On The Edge Of Austin

First Time Ever Stepping Foot In Austin

I tried Whataburger for the first time.  It wasn’t as good as everyone makes it out to be.

However, this burger from Hopdoddy was probably the best burger I’ve ever had.

Pho Buns from East Side King was probably my favorite thing I ate.  The idea is genius!

Nashville Reunion +1 Photobomber

Blurry Group Shot At The Grand

The weather couldn’t have been any better!

A Pig Named Bacon

Offical Drink Of Texas

The View Down South Congress

Hanging Out At The Cactus Cafe For David’s TV Show Taping

David Ramirez & Band

Davids

Last Night In Austin Hanging On the Eastside

I will definitely go back to Austin, but I’ve got more stops to make until then.  Here’s to living in the moment.

For what good is my journey if I miss out on eternity…

Rescued

Where does the time go?

Today was the 5-year anniversary of one of my all time favorite records, Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything In Transit.  It seriously feels just like yesterday that I was sitting in the Springfield, Mo Best Buy parking lot popping this CD in for the first time.  This album probably stayed in the Asian Mobile (R.I.P.) longer than any other CD.  This is definitely one of those albums that always takes me back in time and brings back to life a lot of memories.

For some reason, thinking about this album made me want to update my blog.  It’s been so long since I’ve written in here that I couldn’t even remember the link to get here.  It’s crazy how much my life has changed in these past five years, especially this last one.  Since my last update, a lot of people would think that I’ve had a terrible year.  I lost my job.  My car got totaled, and I was involved in some other accidents.  I had to go to the ER and have my gallbladder removed.  There’s probably more, but those are the highlights.  I guess I’m one of those people who can always see past the bad and find the good.  From my point of view, it hasn’t been that bad.  I feel like I’ve learned so much from all those experiences that I couldn’t have learned any other way.  There are obvious lessons that you learn as a direct result of an experience.  But at the same time, I also believe that there are deeper more important lessons that can be learned if you are patient and take the time to seek them out.  I can’t really describe or  put into words what I’ve learned.  I just know that I’m a better person because of it.

So who knows what is going to happen in my next five years.  I just know that my life is getting ready to change pretty big in the next couple months, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.

My Life In Pictures

Since I am bad at updating this, I thought it’d be easiest to catch up by going through iPhoto and posting pictures from the last couple of months.

One night my roommates and I all took a trip to the mall and bought our favorite baseball team’s cap.

Sometimes we hangout on the roof.

I went to Twestival.

I went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras!

I went to Chicago for my birthday to see Jimmy Eat World on the Clarity Tour.

We had GumboFest 2009.

I built a scare crow for our garden.  It no longer exists due to some fireworks.

Me and Morgan went to Memphis.

Some of my buddies from back home came and visted for Fourth of July.

We had a Tomato Harvest Party.

After watching the latest season of Entourage, I got to see Jeremy Piven play drums downtown on Broadway.

The Farm Vs. The Estate sand volleyball game.  The stakes were steaks.  The Farm won 2 games to 1. (photos courtesy of Linda)

Other than watching a lot of Cardinals’ games, that’s pretty much it.  I hope to make it back to St. Louis to catch a game before the season is over.