Brockman 365

[editor's note: we've reached the home stretch of the 365 Project, and while I'm very behind in updating, I've still been taking photos and documenting the rest of my year. I fully plan on catching up and hope that you keep coming back to see my progress. thanks again for taking time out to share with me.]

 

253.) Monday, April 1, 2013

252.) Sunday, March 31, 2013
With my school already en route to Atlanta and Rich’s school playing for its own ticket, it felt right to try and allow my good luck to rub off my friend. Michigan hasn’t been to a Final Four in 20 years, since its timeouts weren’t ran out. Well, as luck would have it, the Wolverines handled their business against Florida and became the third team heading south for the spring. Louisville later handled Duke, like the varsity against middle schoolers, to complete the dance; 68 down to 4. The greatest two weeks in sports. And wouldn’t you wonder who’s facing off against one another next Saturday at the Georgia Dome. Yup, Syracuse and Michigan. It’ll be some kind of battle. I like our chances but they’ve got the national player of the year. We have the zone. Hopefully I’ll be there.

251.) Saturday, March 30, 2013
Syracuse last reached the Final Four back in 2003 when a freshman named Carmelo Anthony led the Orangemen to New Orleans and a championship run. Ten years later, this group of Syracuse ballers have done the same, punching their tickets to Atlanta after defeating Marquette, the same team that bounced Jim Boeheim’s crew from the dance two years prior. This season has been quite the park ride with more thrills and chills than my stomach could handle, and to cap it off with a run like this, well I’m just giddy with excitement. When we put it all together there’s no reason why we can’t win the whole enchilada. Atlanta is quite a trip, but I’m definitely curious about attending. There’s plenty of us willing at the moment, but whether that’s euphoric ambition has yet to be determined.

250.) Friday, March 29, 2013
When I first got my drivers license back in the spring of 1997, gasoline was 89 cents/gallon at the station across the street from where I worked at Funtown USA, which ironically enough was only true in name only. Sixteen years later, gas is well over $4 per and this is what a full tank goes for these days, for better or worse. You have to get around town, especially in Los Angeles, so it is what it is.

249.) Thursday, March 28, 2013
In 1987, Indiana defeated Syracuse to win the men’s basketball National Championship, and while our victory tonight doesn’t exactly make up for that defeat, it certainly felt good to knock out the top seed and move on to the Elite 8. It also felt pretty good to watch the game with all of my close college friends out here who not only made me feel welcome immediately upon my arrival nearly 4 years ago, but who have maintained that camaraderie and loyalty. It also helped that we watched the game with arguably the best Syracuse quarterback of all time and among its top football legends in Donovan McNabb. Mr. #5 himself, who was a senior my freshman year on The Hill in 1998. I reminded him about how we all stormed the field after his TD pass to Stephen Bromisnki beat Virginia Tech with no time left. He smiled at the memory just like I’ll always smile at this one.

248.) Wednesday, March 27, 2013
With a couple hours to kill between podcast tapings and the actual start of my shift, I decided to head to downtown Culver City and catch a matinee of the latest G.I. Joe movie. I understand that mid-week afternoon viewings and evenings on the weekends will have a discrepancy in the number of patrons, but only having one ticket taker, and them being at the concession stand no less, is a little silly. So we wait. And wait. And wait. The movie? It was actually pretty entertaining.

247.) Tuesday, March 26, 2013
All you really need to know about this picture is that Charles Davis is the man. He came on the Rich Eisen Podcast today to talk NFL Draft and prospects and the underwhelming quarterbacks and all that fun football stuff and we ended up talking about “Press Your Luck” and how he once failed to show up for a college final while at Tennessee and old movies and how I “insulted” Michael Crabtree and how Davis would’ve reacted to it. And then, with a couple minutes before he was scheduled to appear on Path To The Draft, we talked some football. That’s just what we do.

246.) Monday, March 25, 2013
Back from vacation means back to the gym and back to a sensible diet. That began this afternoon with a hearty 90-minute workout in which I worked by recently fattened up bod back to its moderately fat state, and then replenished my machine with an even heartier protein scramble, topped off with a glass of milk to wash it all down. I’ve been eating a lot of bacon lately and it’s not a decision I regret one  bit. Not. One. Bit. Though I think my favorite element of this picture is the reflection in the glass countertop of my Red Sox photo hanging on the wall. That was by accident but awesome.

245.) Sunday, March 24, 2013
Just about everything about a vacation is awesome except the trip home. There’s nothing more depressing than the realization that very soon all the luxuries of paradise you were living are soon to be replaced by the dullness of your everyday life. I’m sure your life is awesome, as it mine, but let’s be honest here, sometimes it sucks and that’s why you take a vacation in the first place, to escape the suckyness. When you’re on a roadtrip home you want a couple things: 1) your best friend and b) some good music. Check and check. Truthfully, I haven’t the faintest idea who Atlas Genius is, but when I turned on the radio as the Perk Daddy and I began the trek back to SoCal this song was playing. Now, we happen to call our crib Trojan Manor, and we happen to be Golden Trojans of the truest Thornton Academy degree. Seemed like a good start to the trip to me.

244.) Saturday, March 23, 2013
That today is the 244th entry is, in a way, fitting. The school that made the number 44 famous – Syracuse University, my alma mater – didn’t make it look pretty in advancing to the Sweet 16 but nonetheless emerged victorious over California in what was essentially a home game for the Golden Bears. And I’m so glad I was here and was able to watch the game with a great group of friends, including the best of them all, the Perk Daddy, who made the trip up north along with Mo, Owl, Sara, Shiggs, Certo, and Becca, who I had never met but came down from SanFran. It was the first time Perk and I had seen a Syracuse game together, in person, since 2002. The Syracuse contingent was scattered and strong and when it was all over, we were the loudest of them all. BREW-STER, BO-LAND (clap-clap, clap-clap-clap)!!

243.) Friday, March 22, 2013
There are several cities that when you tell someone you’ve never been to they always gasp and tell you how great it is, how you’re missing out, and how you have to get there as soon as possible. Chicago is one, San Francisco is the other. Well, now I can cross the Golden Gate city off my list. Less than a hour’s drive from San Jose, San Francisco has been on my radar for some time, and with Syracuse’s victory the night before ensuring I’d be sticking around NorCal for Saturday’s contest, I had a day to kill. So I went all touristy and hit the Golden Gate Bridge, walked around the waterfront and in and out of shops, I even went and got some clam chowder after asking my Twitter followers for suggestions. I then hit Ghirardelli for some ice cream before retreating to a hotel for a relaxing evening. Couldn’t have gone better and I can’t wait to go back.

242.) Thursday, March 21, 2013
Today was one of those days teenage me would’ve been very jealous of. But if teenage me would’ve known days like today where in the future he wouldn’t the rest of his life so serious. What a day of college hoops. From beginning the end, San Jose was the perfect host, and while I will admit to being nervous for my Orangemen against Montana – the threat of an upset was very real heading into the game, even so much as Seth Davis predicted it on the CBS selection show – the game ended up never being close. A blowout from the get-go. The most lopsided contest of the Opening Round and even the walk-ons got in on the action at the end. Mike and I walked into the HP Pavilion not knowing what to expect, seats in the rafters and ended the day victorious in a club suite with all the food and drink we could consume. It helps when you know someone with a box, but it also helps when your college basketball team dominates.

241.) Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I’ve found that the best trips are those given less thought and rely on gut and go. That’s how this one came about. A late-night jaunt to Northern California to watch the NCAA Tournament, specifically Syracuse in the East Region. I made the decision almost immediately when it was announced Syracuse would be playing Montana up in San Jose. Talked myself out of it a day later, and then decided yesterday that I was indeed going to make the drive. I had planned well in advance to be off for the next four days – the most glorious in all the sports-watching land: the first two opening rounds of the Tourney. My buddy, Mike, said that he would come down from Sacremento if anyone wanted to drive up and that was all I needed. I set off on the road. Into the great wide open.

240.) Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Apparently, Shakey’s is a bad pizza institution in Los Angeles. For the last two-plus years, I’ve lived within a 9-iron of one, but sadly I’ve never been. Until tonight. Marco has been talking about going for weeks now on the late News shift so we made the trek down Sepulveda  to have a bite. Pepperoni was our game and it went down smooth. Side of ranch. Parmesan cheese. Crushed red pepper. Actually wasn’t that bad. I happened to enjoy it, though all pizza is generally favorable in my mind.

239.) Monday, March 18, 2013
The fuel gauge on any automobile has always been peculiar to me. Car technology in general has always been a head-scratcher, to be honest, but specifically, how does the gauge know exactly how much fuel you have left? And such, a lot of blind faith on your part to trust that the light means you have 50 or whatever it is miles left to accommodate your driving. It’s like that Seinfeld episode where Kramer and the guy from the Saab dealer push the line far past the E line. I still have no idea how much fuel I have left in the Noble Steed when the light comes on. Wing and a prayer.

238.) Sunday, March 17, 2013
There’s a lot of famous joints in Los Angeles. One dining gem is the 101 Coffee Shop up on Franklin Ave. in Hollywood, and this was my maiden voyage. Sunday brunch with big eyes and a bigger appetite. Or is that in reverse? We certainly ordered enough food for an army. With a ’70s decor and friendly waitresses, the 101 has a hip clientele; a little too hip for my taste, but my taste has always been the cuisine. And it did not disappoint. Delicious french toast and a burrito that was as filling as it was visually appealing.

237.) Saturday, March 16, 2013
Birthdays, when you have a large group of friends and acquaintances, can be quite a nuisance if you let them. You have to take control of the situation and event. Attend on your terms and leave on those same terms. It’s our friend Nicole’s birthday party. While I couldn’t attend any of the fun earlier in the evening, I was able to meet up after work. Here we are on the Killin’ It Couch, doing what we do. Sharing laughs, doing bits, talking about life. That’s what friends are for, regardless of why you’re together.

236.) Friday, March 15, 2013
Had to send this one out to my family today. On the Ides of March, my good college buddy Jason’s 33rd birthday, I was feeling especially jovial and well-wishing and nothing compliments a ‘miss you, family’ mass text like a goofy face and a ‘thumbs up.’ I talk to my mom often, and my sister less such, my dad now and then and my brother sparingly. It’s not ideal, any of it, but such is life. So if I keep the communication spark alive even a little bit with some levity, then that’s what I’ll do. I mean, could you resist responding this face? Didn’t think so.

235.) Thursday, March 14, 2013
My friend, Jaime, started talking trash about the Yankees and all their championships tonight and when that happened I had to break out the Trump Card. The 2004 box set of your World Series Champions. And while I know New York has won 8 billion titles to Boston’s two in the last 95 years, these four games in October 2004 will forever live among the greatest top 10 list shows for all of eternity. It’s not that I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing and who I was doing it with for each of those games, but it’s my team. I remember Super Bowls and Final Fours and all kinds of games but not all of them included my team. But these contests would be memorable if it was anyone. Game 4, Bill Mueller and Ortiz. Game 5, Ortiz. Game 6, Bloody Sock. Game 7, Damon grand slam. What’s up.

234.) Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Rare is the moment that I get to appear on cable television, but of course, I find a way to make the most of my opportunity. Today, Wes Welker, the lunchpail Patriots receiver who teamed with Tom Brady to re-write the receiving record books, spurned New England’s offer and agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos. It was literally the one place fans didn’t want him to go. To become Peyton Manning’s newest weapon. He was our weapon. Now he’s theirs. When the time came to move Welker from the top of the wide receivers list and place him underneath Denver, I got a nice introduction from Rich Eisen, who was hosting the coverage during this time. It was at that moment I turned toward Rich and shed a mock tear for the loss of Wes.

233.) Tuesday, March 12, 2013
There’s no more exciting period of offseason activity in any league than NFL Free Agency. It strikes in the middle of the afternoon and ends up being a free-for-all. No other league has more player movement. Today, we had nonstop coverage and this was our big board. I was the Jon Snow of the Free Agency Frenzy, in charge of updating the Top 10 available at each position and to what team newly signed Free Agents were acquired. Colorful. Fast-moving. Informative. Simple. In an age of touchscreens and holograms and interactive “Minority Report”-esque technology, it was cool that ours was basic and to the point.

232.) Monday, March 11, 2013
For years, Perk has been playing only one game on his Playstation2; MLB 2005 with Manny Ramirez on the cover. Then his PS2 broke and he was using mine. He plays out season after season on franchise mode with the Red Sox. It’s like the year 2015 or something. He’s won the World Series 8 times and is going to break Hank Aaron’s home run record soon with one of his players. I even know a lot of them by name, which is something. Finally, he upgraded to a PS3 and of course, he’s gone all-in on Madden 2013. He’s in practice mode right now trying to hone his skills. I’m sure he’ll begin a Patriots dynasty mode any day now and spend hours upon hours. Wonder if he’ll create himself? Guess we’ll find out soon enough. If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.

231.) Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday BBQ’s used to be a staple of the Brockman household. My dad would fire up the grill with some steaks or chicken breasts or sausages, mom would do up some greens or corn or potatoes and we’d have a family meal. The five of us. Those were great days and happy times. I reflect on them with great fondness and long for those days. Everyone once in a while, I get to reenact them out here with friends. It always brings me back. Today was one of those days and it was spectacular and just what the doctor ordered. This burger was fantastic. As was the company.

230.) Saturday, March 9, 2013
The Wizard Oz is an American classic. It won a couple of Oscars in 1940 and is a staple of every childhood VHS collection. How many times have you uttered someone was an oompa loompa, or a member of the lollipop guild or yelled “I’ll get you my pretty!”? Countless, I’m sure. I like whistling “If I only had a brain” from time to time. The new prequel, if you will, “The Great and Powerful Oz”  looks to set the stage as to how Oz became who he is, and how the witches became good and bad. Perk worked on this film for some months and I like to check out each of his projects and look for the shots I know he worked on. This one did not disappoint. It was very fun and much funnier than I expected. I really enjoyed the doll and monkey especially. Maybe it was a little long, but it was well worth the viewing and hopefully a new classic for this generation.

229.) Friday, March 8, 2013
This is a giant green elephant. That is very obvious. What it’s doing in the store window at the Marc Jacobs on Melrose Ave. I really haven’t the foggiest. But it’s there, supposedly part of some spring picnic display, in the window overlooking the street. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s something out of a Vegas show or a Dr. Suess movie adaptation. I half expected to start uttering rhymes about Whos or flowers or Things. Alas, I bought a hat. A blue one.

228.) Thursday, March 7, 2013
I really like flowers. For simple reasons like how they look and smell. And for more unique one like how they cheer up someone’s day and makes them feel swell. Flowers of all sorts come in many sizes, colors and shapes. They are for all occasions and all kinds of dates. First ones, seconds ones and those years after years. They help heartache and dry streaming tears. They grow on trees and sprout from the ground. They are colorful and warming and are always around, in times of joy and those less so, they blow in the wind and sway to and fro. I really like flowers, I’m not ashamed to say. Flowers are strong and noble and live a short life. Like all of us.

227.) Wednesday, March 6, 2013
For a small Los Angeles suburb, Culver City is one that has a rich history of film and entertainment, with Sony and the famous Culver Hotel. It as a great restaurant scene, fire house, Fox Hills Mall and the great Kirk Douglas Theater in downtown. It’s a pretty unique and historic place and one that features a tower atop that lights up with C-U-L-V-E-R consistently throughout the night. It’s always going on my late-night drive home from the NFL Network offices. There’s a traffic light just at the corner just before the theater and tonight I tried to time it out so the Culver is fully in view, but I missed it. Not sure how the L flamed out there. Looks kinda odd, don’t it?

226.) Tuesday, March 5, 2013
“Choosy Moms Choose Jif” is a fantastic company slogan. It’s something Don Draper would come up with in front of a bunch of suits who don’t know any better but they know they like it when it comes out of his mouth. I’ve been eating peanut butter my whole life. It’s delectable. Add some jelly and bread and you have the cuisine fit for a king. What do you think came first: crunchy or creamy peanut butter? At one point in time, creamy might’ve been my game, but I’ve since become an all-crunchy fella. I do know this, they both came before whatever this is. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. What do you venture this goes on? Do you put it on a sandwich? On apples or celery? On cookies? I’m so confused. A friend told me it’s Jif’s answer to Nutella. But I don’t know what that is, either. So I guess I’m just S.O.L.

225.) Monday, March 4, 2013
My gym is fascinating with equally fascinating patrons. Between the trainer who rolls up his windpants and the other who has two watches, to the dude who looks like Will.I.Am and the girl who is either pregnant or oddly shaped. I like my gym, for better or worse. Then there’s this guy. I’m pretty sure it’s the same dude who I’ve seen wearing the old Bullets Rasheed Wallace jersey and another one I can’t remember off the top of my head, but his Penny Hardaway jersey is pretty awesome. I wanted to talk to him about it, but that’s just creepy. I really just wanted to say thank you for giving me something awesome to look at for the 75 minutes a day I’m there. I don’t ask for much, and since there’s no girls worth looking at in the middle of the afternoon, this is all I got.

224.) Sunday, March 3, 2013
Post-birthday brunch is an awesome thing and there are literally a hundred spots worth your time. All are delicious, including Blue Plate in Santa Monica. Parker had the idea and it was a gem. We had to wait a little bit to sit down, which gave us time to walk around Whole Foods (I really wanted some  bottled chocolate milk but they were sold out) and talk to a pigeon on the sidewalk, but good looking people and delicious food is what awaited us. Our waitress was from Australia and I had eggs and french toast and we eaves dropped on the Asian couple next to us. The Heat game was even on.

223.) Saturday, March 2, 2013
Birthday parties in Los Angeles are nothing like I’ve ever experienced. When I was a kid, we’d have roller skating gatherings or my mom would do up a theme party of whatever cool ’80s show was popular at the time. In hindsight, I wish we would’ve had a ‘Cheers’ party. That probably would have been sweet. ANYwho, it was Sara’s birthday recently and she celebrated her 30 years of on this Earth with something called the Three-Oh Olympics. We split into teams for yard and drinking games. Clearly, we were on the purple squad, which meant purchasing some violet items I’ll never wear again, but all in the good name of victory, right? Owl and I won corn hole, which gave us an early lead in the standings, but we ran out of steam down the stretch and finished tied for second. The night ended at Rush St. we were all laughed about the day’s events. Brad may or may not have tried to choke me out. There has to be a picture of that somewhere.

222.) Friday, March 1, 2013
Remember what I just said about Los Angeles traffic? Well, sometimes there are brave (moronic) folks who seek to defy traffic and the basic laws of the road and get in high-speed chases with the venerable LAPD. They are awesome. And they’re always shown here on TV. And they always seem to last forever. Remember that arcade race car game where you’d just weave in and maybe bump a few cars along the way? That’s real life to these fools. It’s amazing how they completely think they’re going to get away. And when they’re finally busted they GET OUT AND RUN. Yeah, because that always works. This guy suffered the same fate as all the rest.

221.) Thursday, February 28, 2013
Five o’clock traffic is Los Angeles is basically the equivalent of having your fingernails pulled out with tweezers while being forced to watch re-runs of 1600 Penn. While sitting on the Frogger board in our suicide machines, you have to keep yourself entertained somehow. I like to do this by creeping on my fellow drivers. There are lots of interesting people in this land and most of them drive and I like to laugh at them. Like this couple. I have no idea what’s going on, and I was a little late in snapping this pic, I’m pretty confident that very little in it is real. Which makes it perfectly L.A.

220.) Wednesday, February 27, 2013
I have only one rule: When I’ve read only amazing reviews about a documentary and said documentary then wins the Academy Award for feature doc, I have to find the nearest theater showing it, get a gigantic tub of popcorn and check it out. That’s what I did tonight with “Searching For Sugarman,” a fantastically done piece about a ’70s Motown singer Rodriguez, who had a smooth voice and intelligent lyrics but for one reason or another, had two flops here in the U.S. and  got dropped by his record label. However, by the stroke of dumb luck, he became a big star in South Africa of all places and the hunt was on by a couple locals to find out if the famous guitarist was still alive, as rumors about his death took on beanstalkian proportions. What took place was nothing short of amazing, inspirational, sad and heartwarming. If you can get yourself to see this, in the theater or OnDemand, do it. You won’t regret it.

219.) Tuesday, February 26, 2013
When it was all said and done from yesterday’s Red Carpet Experience Part II,we had roughly an hour and 20 minutes of raw source material from our nearly 3 hours out there. Like I said, Ed talked to everyone and we got some pretty big names, the most grandiose being Mr. George Clooney, and we had a lot of great soundbites. Narrowing it down to the absolute best 7 minutes was extremely difficult. I even found some new ’20s and ’30s style show music, created a split screen for a pretend simulcast from Indianapolis to Hollywood and figured out a way to slip me into the opening montage. Booyah.

218.) Monday, February 25, 2013
With Rich and Law in Indianapolis finishing up our Scouting Combine coverage, I tackled Ed Reed in bringing him into the studio to tape a hit with Dr. Eisen for Total Access. Ed had a little fun beforehand walking around the studio and here he’s in the middle of riffing about Ray Lewis and standing on the corner of 21st and Prime. Once he sat down to talk, he gushed about his time on the Red Carpet and sneaking his way backstage during the show. It was obvious Ed reveled in the experience and saw it for what it was: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re basically best friends now.

217.) Sunday, February 24, 2013
Oscars Day. It really should be a holiday, especially out here in Los Angeles. A whole block of Hollywood Blvd. is shut down and paved in red carpet, everyone is dressed to the 9s and all anyone can talk about is who’s going to take home the gold statue. I had trouble sleeping last night as I was pretty amped for today. Getting dressed in the NFL Network makeup room, I knew we were going to have a good day. I just had a hunch our Eisen Podcast correspondent this year, Ed Reed of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, was going destroy these interviews like he’s laid out hapless wide receivers his entire career. And that’s what he did. Dressed in a purple-tinted tux with custom cuffs and purple-tinted shoes, Reed was a pro in his first foray on the other side of the mic. He chatted up anyone and everyone who walked past our post, from short film and documentary nominees to stars from “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Life of Pi.” There were so many highlites from the afternoon, which you’ll see in our piece for our TV show and I won’t give away yet. What’s funny is that Ed was really hyped to see Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry and he did, and even managed to sneak his way backstage and into their green room. Meanwhile, my amazing afternoon ended, I came back to the network to make sure the footage got uploaded properly before heading home and watching the show itself. I waited for Ed’s call for the killer afterparty and it never came. Honestly, once the tux came off, my day was over. It’s not something you put on twice.

216.) Saturday, February 23, 2013
No Oscars outfit is complete without proper shoes. Last year, I made the decision to forgo the traditional tux dress shoes, knowing I’d be on my feet the entire day, for some patent black leather hightop Converse. This time around, I went with a simplier tux, including a bow tie, which mean more of my white shirt was exposed. Thus, I decided to try and some white shoes to match. Luckily, I came across these: Jack Purcells. On sale. Booyah. I’m going to look FLY.

215.) Friday, February 22, 2013
It’s that time of the year. Again. Last year, I said it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to attend the Academy Awards Red Carpet and wouldn’t you know it became twice in a lifetime, as once again I headed up to Hollywood and Highland to pick up my credentials for this year’s Oscars show, hosted by Seth MacFarlane. Feeling like a seasoned veteran, I knew exactly where I was going this year. I strode the hallways of the Loew’s Hotel with a little more pep and confidence in my step. Yes, I belonged with this crowd. The guy taking my picture didn’t even snicker when after he asked who I was with, I replied, “NFL Network.” Once again, our girl Tarrah hooked us up with all the accommodations of a real entertainment news channel, including reclaiming our prime chuck of real estate on the carpet. We were set up in the same spot as last year; next to the Chinese movie channel and a Spanish-language network. It was going to be a tight fit, but a welcomed nuisance indeed. #CantWait.

214.) Thursday, February 21, 2013
Some nights the highlite of working is figuring out what’s for dinner. Rago and I talked long and hard and decided on Five Guys. Perhaps the banner moment of this excursion wasn’t the delicious, hand-cut french fries, or BBQ bacon cheeseburger I devoured, but teaching him how to use FaceTime on his iPhone. You’d think a guy who’s had an iPhone for years and constantly takes pictures and video of his daughter would know how to operate the basic function, but alas, I made it happen for him. Good times. RIGHT NOW!!

213.) Wednesday, February 20, 2013
It goes without saying that out here people want to be hip and cool. And that means driving “hip” and ” cool” cars, and nothing says you’re down with the popular crowd like driving a hybrid. It also goes without saying that everyone out here is pretty pretentious and full of crap and that means having a really uppity vanity plate like “C NO GAS.” I spotted this on my way home from the gym today and immediately tweeted out “there’s a special place in hell” for people with plates like this. I’m all for doing your part, sort of, but seriously, how big of a douchebag do you have to be to put this on your car, or anything, really?

212.) Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Obviously, this is a bottle of scotch. I haven’t the foggiest clue what it tastes like nor do I really have the desire to. This is interesting because it’s sitting on my table. Perk bought it recently and it just happen to coincide with a conversation with Slade and I were having just last night about scotch’s and its history. We must’ve gone on for an hour about the different kinds and the companies and how it’s made and the different between scotches and cognacs and bourbons. We even found some old, old stuff, 50+ year old Macallan 50 that they talked about in “Skyfall” online that was going for nearly the GDP of a small country. Maybe someday I’ll be one of those old men who sits around in his lounger smoking cigars and sipping expensive, smooth, good stuff. Mad Men, style.

211.) Monday, February 18, 2013
I’ve taken more self portraits for the sake of this project than I care to count. I don’t know how these self-centered chicks do it on their Instagrams or whatever app is cool these days. Seriously, don’t they get sick of looking at themselves? I look pretty much the same as I did in 2004 and I’m sick of myself. Look at me. I mean, sure, devilishly handsome, smooth dome, the perfect amount of stubble. Who could hate a face like this? I think I just threw up in my mouth.

210.) Sunday, February 17, 2013
This day started with a tux fitting at Men’s Warehouse and ended very late with us singing terrible karaoke songs at a joint none of us had been before. Just another Sunday in Los Angeles. I knew it was all going to be just fine, because today is Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday and everything always worked out for MJ. Like I said, I had to get fitted for a tux to attend the Academy Awards again to work with our Red Carpet correspondent for the Eisen Podcast – at this point, I don’t know who that football player is, but I know that I’ll be there and really, that’s all that matters. Oddly enough, this MW had a portable basketball hoop. And while I really wanted to take some shots (shocking) a little kid had beat me to it and was draining Js while waiting to get fitted. This just laid the table for the day ahead, which included a trip to the Eisen’s, an All-Star Game viewing at Mo’s fresh with squares and a PH, and some Russian Roulette Karaoke at “Karaoke Bleu.” Clearly the only way to cap a day like this is with some unexpected jams.

209.) Saturday, February 16, 2013
I love going to the bookstore; sorry if I’ve said that before, but I really do. I like just walking around and checking out all the new releases. Non-fiction, of course. I like to see what’s new in paperback and new biographies are out and if there are any period pieces I may have missed in my earlier perusing sessions. I like to find a book and slunk down in an aisle and read 20-30 pages and then find another and do it again. I like to see what other people are looking at, what interests them. Should I, would I be interested in that as well? Tonight, I had a different mission. To find a book for a 2-year old. This is much more difficult than it sounds, since most 2-year olds can’t read. Slackers.

208.) Friday, February 15, 2013
Being from New England, I prefer our version of chowder whenever I can get it (and have a choice). Not sure why, I was really in the mood for it tonight and had only one place to turn: Ralph’s, the west-coast Shaw’s, for my northeast folks. I really need to start a list of my favorite of my favorite chowder joints. It would begin in Kennebunkport, Maine, most likely and then travel down the east coast. I had a good one in Newbury, Mass. once. My dad used to make this amazing seafood chowder around the holidays that was crazy tasty. He put scallops, lobster, clams, and I forget what else, in it. I would love some this very second, actually.

207.) Thursday, February 14, 2013
It’s Valentine’s Day. The most pointless and corporate-driven “holiday” we have in this country, and there are quite a few. It’s ridiculous. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a memorable V-Day, to be honest. Last year I had to work and didn’t do anything with my then-girlfriend. This year, I have a hot date with this box of Girl Scout Cookies. Yes, it’s that time of year. I’m Old School and simple when it comes to my Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints. Put them in the freezer and give them to me right off the table, I’ll put away this box in the time it took Chris Johnson to run a 40 (fast). Someone at work just happen to be selling them for his daughter and I couldn’t have pulled out my wallet fast enough. Thankfully, I had cash, which is never the case. See, Cupid was with me afterall.

206.) Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Like I just said, bumper stickers are fantastic, but this one might take the cake. Johnny Cash is an American music icon. A legend not only in the country genre but but rock and really, all of man-dom. The Man In Black. He was hard and real before it was the norm. Come on, “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.” That is an iconic lyric. And the fact that this is on a real piece of shh chop top jeep made it even cooler for today’s pic.

205.) Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Sports Illustrated Swim Suit issue comes out this week and for the second straight year, Kate Upton is on the cover. This has been the year of Upton and her uptons. She’s been everywhere, hocking everything from energy drinks to headphones and herself. We’ve all bought in. And she’s on the cover of the mag again and the world is a better place. I spent a good part of today watching some of her body paint work online. I’m thinking of leaving sports television and becoming a body paint artist. Like soon.

204.) Monday, February 11, 2013
I’m fascinated by the billboards in the this town, have been since the day I moved here. There are four at the end of my street that are always pimping the newest TV show or movie. A few feet down at the larger intersection, there’s about six more. It’s insane. But until now I’ve never seen them being changed. Odd they’d be doing it in the middle of the day, but I couldn’t resist documenting it fo part of this project. Look at the size of that crane. This job clearly looks much tougher than you’d think. Under appreciated, too.

203.) Sunday, February 10, 2013
It’s pretty awesome what you can find when you just happen to be looking through random books and folders and papers. I like to save things that I think could be of note down the line. It’s a blessing and a curse in the sense that I have a lot of junk around. At my mom’s house in Maine, there are boxes and boxes of magazines and sports cards and newspapers and VHS tapes of games that I think, someday, will be of some value. Definitely not monetary, mostly just sentimental. And to that, I say, what’s wrong with being sentimental. You know how I reacted when I found this note I didn’t even know I still had? Ecstatic. It took me back to that spring night on Sumner Ave. in Syracuse when I drove down and discovered it taped to Shawn and Brian’s door. Parker had driven in that weekend as well, for what I believe was a UUTV Alumni weekend and we both were staying with those guys, who were still in school. They were already out and I drove down to meet them. This was obviously a life before cell phones and instant email. I wish there was a date on this, but it has to be 9 or 10 years old. And we’re still friends to this day. That’s probably what I’m most proud of.

202.) Saturday, February 9, 2013
Some friends of ours were having a “Jock Jams” party tonight and much like any shin dig, it wasn’t complete without our presence. We dressed up in some ’90s sports gear – I in my Michigan Chris Webber jersey – and for the most party kept to ourselves. There were a lot of people we didn’t know, so it was much easier to dominate the corner, or is it became known throughout the night, the Killin’ It Korner. B-Easy, dressed as a soccer hooligan, strikes the pose.

201.) Friday, February 8, 2013
If there’s one thing that helped my move from Maine to Los Angeles it was the care packages my mom would send from time to time. In college, care packages were like getting a gift from God. Noting picked you up, gave you a life boost or showed you that there was some light at the end of the tunnel like having a package slip in your dorm mailbox. And while I’m a grown man now, I’m not above having those same feelings when I see the white box on my fish door mat here at Trojan Manor. And for three-plus years she’s been sending me them. Whether it’s a loaf of zucchini bread inside or a jar of homemade salsa or a fun t-shirt or some Valentine’s or Halloween candy or an encouraging note or postcard with some loving words, it’s always the boost I need just at the right moment. It never fails. She never fails. She’s the best. I love her so much.

200.) Thursday, February 7, 2013
You know when you’re growing up and you get in a playground fight and you’re not the one who starts it but you always get in trouble? That’s what happened here; sort of like the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Pig Parker episode, where the second person has to alter their parking because the first does so like an idiot. So I come out to leave my night shift with a post-it note on my car: “nice parking idiot!” Really? Was that necessary? That’s how we’re addressing problems these days? And I’m the idiot.

199.) Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Guess it’s just cookie week here on the 365 Project. But when you talk about animal crackers, of which I am a enthusiastic devourer of, the conversation begins and ends with these. The OG of animal crackers. Back in the day, I couldn’t go to the grocery store without begging my mom to get me a box and I’d tear through it like the Tasmanian devil in seconds. Now, there are all kinds. The Stouffer’s are really good. Trader Joe’s makes some gluten-free ones. I like to dip them in frosting, and while I’ve taken some grief over this practice, whenever someone tries it they always agree that it’s the most delicious thing they’ve ever tasted.

198.) Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Isn’t it amazing what you can remember? I can pretty much recite the entire old commercial for Oreo cookies right now and I couldn’t tell you when was the last time I heard it. “Who’s that kid with the Oreo cookie, something something something something and it’s got a creamy middle. O-R-E-O.” Everyone always makes a big deal about HOW they eat their Oreos. I’ve never been a twist it apart and lick the cream and eat the cookies or anything like that. I don’t even like to dunk them in milk. Honestly, I like when they’re a little stale and the cookie is on the soft side. Oreo ice cream cookies are really the best. But will you get a load of this construction of American gluttony. Oreo Mega Stuff. Do we really need that? Yes, yes we do.

197.) Monday, February 4, 2013
Bearded through the weekend, I find myself at the gym on this Monday morning working off the Super Bowl blues. What will be the good that comes out when it’s my time to read the daily news? Will they be feelings of joy that start from the top and shimmy their way down to my shoes? What will the offseason topics be that will require my point of view? Will they require deep thought or a gut reaction where I’ll have to choose, between who’s the top quarterback, the pocket veteran or the scrambler with all the tattoos.

196.) Sunday, February 3, 2013
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. The mother of all sports days in the United States. I remember my first Super Sunday. Our family was living in Virginia and the Redskins smoked the Broncos behind Timmy Smith and Doug Williams. Haven’t missed one since. Most of the games aren’t really that memorable, but this year’s was beyond that. Blowout to blackout to comeback to goal line stand. This game, Super Bowl 47 had a little bit of everything, and this was my view, from edit 3 at NFL Network. Last year, when the Giants beat the Patriots, I was in edit 4. A step up, I suppose.

195.) Saturday, February 2, 2013
It’s Groundhog Day. Not only is this one of my favorite movies and one of the most rewatchable cable movies there is, but it’s also completely meaningless. This stupid groundhog always sees his shadow and there’s always six more weeks of winter because it’s always freakin’ winter this time of year. Though didn’t he say Spring was coming early this today? Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. Oh wait, I live in Los Angeles, where it’s spring and summer every day. ANYway, I saw this sign at The Grove tonight. An evening with Michael Bolton. What do you think that’s like? Personally, I celebrate his entire catalog.

194.) Friday, February 1, 2013
As everyone knows, the DMV is literally the passage way to Hell, and while you’d think Parking Servies would be the doorway to that passage, it’s actually the opposite. I have to reckon this is because you can handle most parking services online these days. I only needed to renew my street parking and guest passes but of course, they expired today and such, I had to head over in person today. There were only a couple people in front of me which meant my wait wasn’t that long, though I was surprised by the information I had an unpaid parking ticket. So I didn’t expect to drop the cash I did, but it’s one less headache out of the way. NEXT!

193.) Thursday, January 31, 2013
Today at the Super Bowl, Rich and Deion talked to Beyonce, who will be performing at halftime on Sunday. Beyonce changed her dress from the giant press interview and this one. That’s just how pop divas do. A snippet of this will appear on our podcast Super Bowl Special. This is how that interview would’ve went if I was conducting it: “jumpmphhh blahhhhh, spittle spittle, tweeeeble deeeeeeble dooooo, wooooof woooof, me lika, do the cha cha. so what’s Jay-Z like?”

192.) Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Bumper stickers are a curious lot. Some are fantastic; witty, thought-provoking, crass. Others don’t make any sense whatsoever. This one I actually liked. Sometimes through the snark we forget to see what makes perfect sense that’s right in front of us.

191.) Tuesday, January 29, 2013
There are a lot of strange things that go on at the gym. This is a #duh statement. People are ridiculous but I don’t like to judge within the confines of the LA Fitness walls, because I know how much effort it takes to GOYA and make your way into the sweat locker. To throw some weight around, push yourself to perspire and work your body Timberlake style, earns my respect. If you’re there, I respect you. I may laugh at what you wear or criticize to myself your form or technique (because I’m perfect (#duh, again)) but you have my respect. However, this was a first. This cat brought his laptop and was crushing his p90x DVDs smack dab in the middle of the free weights section. Not in the cardio room or off to the side, but right in the middle for all to see. It was pretty fascinating to watch. I almost wanted to join in. Almost.

190.) Monday, January 28, 2013
This is the last picture of Stugots. The very last one. I don’t even know how many pictures exist of her, but this is the final. Like I’ve said a few times, we had an amazing run. When Stugots broke down back in September, it was one of the saddest days of my adult life. I knew the end was imminent. I held on to her as long as I could. Moving her from one side of the street to the other on cleaning days. Kept all my junk in there. Tried to make things as normal as possible. It’s like when an elderly loved one is near the end, you move them back home to keep things familiar. That’s what I did until I couldn’t any longer. Go strong into the good night. You’ll be missed.

189.) Sunday, January 27, 2013
Lunch, by Chris Brockman.
What is lunch? Is it something you eat purely between breakfast and dinner? Do you suck down a scrumptious snack before or after? What’s your delectable daily dish of delight? Is it sweet? Is it salty? Does it go down smooth or is it bulky and heavy? Does it fill your gullet or leave a hole for more? Healthy or heart-attack causing, supplement your workout or artery clogging?
Doritos, turkey sandwich and wash it all down with some H2O, that’s just how I roll on a Sunday in the edit bay. What’s your weekend work cuisine?

188.) Saturday, January 26, 2013
A night out with the boys. Leaving home the jobs, the girls and the toys. Taking in the scene, rising above the noise. At Mom’s Bar, sort of reminds me of the time I spent the weekend in Dubois. That was rural Pennsylvania, and we had no choice. Now it’s semi-urban Santa Monica, a town with a voice. Here we are in a moment of staged rejoice. The looks on our face tell you all you need to know, mostly in jest. Looking straight ahead, wondering what’s next.

187.) Friday, January 25, 2013
How many first kisses do you remember? What about first kisses goodnight? How long did they last? Could you pull yourself away? Or did you want them to linger on forever? What about the last time you kissed someone? What was that like, before the inevitable breakup? My dad used to always say, you could tell a lot by a kiss and I’ve found that to be one of the more true statements he ever told me. “I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye – that was the trouble – I wanted to kiss you goodnight.”

186.) Thursday, January 24, 2013
The last of our celebrity interviews for the Super Bowl Special concluded today (we taped 50 Cent on remote earlier in the week) as David Spade came in. Admittedly, I was skeptical having him on, wondering what he was going to bring, and when the interview was over he ended up being fantastic. He told hilarious stories, dropped some fantasy anecdotes, mentioned Adam Sandler and Chris Rock and Kevin James, did a creepy dance and made me wanna go home and watch “Tommy Boy.” Oh, and he’s wicked short and pulled up in like a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser. He looked like one of those Lego men on a giant tank. Great hair, though.

185.) Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I just realized today is my half-birthday. Did you know people actually celebrate these things? I’m guessing 99% of them are female. It seems like a girl thing to do, much like how they make their birthday a week-long celebration. Anyway, we started taping for our Eisen Podcast Super Bowl Special today with “Community” funny man Joel McHale in studio. I’ve met him before, I attended a taping of “The Soup” a couple years ago at the E! complex. It was pretty funny. They tape it front of a green screen with an audience of about 50 and just rip through. It was pretty awesome. Afterwards, he takes photos with anyone who wants one. The people I was with took one, while I stood there and talked to him about Washington hoops. It had just won an NCAA Tournament game earlier and we chatted about that. He was nice. Gigantic and wore a lot of makeup.

184.) Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thanks to some last-minute, clutch texting and emailing with my girl Justine, I was able to get myself into tonight’s Thunder/Clippers game in the premium seat section for about a quarter of face value. I rode solo, and was rewarded for my deal making with a Chris Paul bobblehead. For one reason or another, I never got into the bobblehead craze. Usually, they don’t look anything like the player and they just seemed gaudy to me. However, I will be keeping my CP3, who in case you haven’t noticed, is the star of a new State Farm campaign in which he plays himself and twin, Cliff. It’s a hilarious ad and it’s caught on here in LA with these giant Cliff Paul heads. I hung out with Justine while she finished up her work with the Clippers and came across one of these heads. I couldn’t resist.

183.) Monday, January 21, 2013
What better way to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day than by going to the beach for some sports and sunshine? I thought this was a good idea, too, which I why I went. It was gorgeous here and also lent itself to some good people watching. Like this woman, in particular. There’s nothing funnier to me than people who walk aimlessly at the beach looking for their friends. “No, we’re next to the volleyball court, next to he pier, by the lifeguard tower.” Yeah, that’s the entire beach, asshole. This lady walked down past us, turned around, walked back, then came back by us again before finally seemingly headed in the direction of her party. It was hilarious.

182.) Sunday, January 20, 2013
It’s the last Sunday of the NFL season here at NFL Network. Championship Sunday. The last before the production hits the road and takes off south to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII and look who came to the GameDay Morning set: First Name Russell, Last Name Wilson. The Seahawks superstar rookie quarterback who dazzled this season and had Seattle seconds from the NFC title game. The man could win Rookie of the Year, to be honest, and should have the Pacific Northwest excited about football for the next decade (side note: in the hall way, Russell nearly ran me over despite us being the same size. dude is thick. he patted me on the shoulder and ‘sorry’). Also, future Hall of Famer Champ Bailey stopped by and the guys are here horsing around with lobster rolls and crab cakes as a way to pick their winner for the Ravens/Patriots game. I was just trying to snag an extra, ha.

181.) Saturday, January 19, 2013
I don’t remember the first time I went to The Shack, but I can tell you that I liked it immediately. Aside from it being an Ohio St. bar, it has delicious food (Shack double cheese burger is fantastic, Shack club is, too and $2 tacos on Saturday night; booyah), always has games on and even has a Big Buck Hunter video game. Parker and I go here at least once a month it seems like, sometimes more. Tonight, I went with B-Easy. I got the tacos. We chatted about life. I tried to convince him to come to this birthday party with me. It didn’t work. He wins.

180.) Friday, January 18, 2013
Slade and I needed lunch and with it, we had a hunch. Yes, Wendy’s is not the healthiest choice, but as I tasted my frostee I started to rejoice. It’s so delicious, all of it, and down it goes to sit in my stomach pit. Chicken and nuggets, throw in some fries, it doesn’t matter that it’s all going to my thighs. Sometimes you just gotta eat and when you want it you get it, it’s such a tasty treat. Dollar menu, value meal it’s all good, I wish I had a Wendy’s on the corner in my hood.

179.) Thursday, January 17, 2012
Arnold Swarzenegger is a gigantic movie star, the former governor of California and definitely on my list of people I’d like to “run into” or “meet” while I live out here. However, I think the advertising for his latest cinematic venture “The Last Stand” has gotten to be a bit much. This is at at the intersection of La Brea and San Vincente. This billboards are literally right next to each other and they are identical. Yeah, I’ll probably go see it.

178.) Wednesday, January 16, 2013
This is the second time I’ve gone to trivia at Q’s, had my team come in 5th (there is a question we choked on that I’m so embarrassed to admit to it) and forgot to snap a pick from the good times. Regardless, on the way home I have to drive past the Beverly Hilton. It’s a pretty cool looking joint, and it hosts the Golden Globes every year and so I thought I could get a shot of it while I was driving and now that I look at it, I don’t think it worked. Though sometimes the blurry pic looks cool. You be the judge.

177.) Tuesday, January 15, 2013
If you follow me on Twitter (and really, there’s no reason NOT to) you may have noticed my hashtag tonight of #TrojanManorBowlingLeague. It’s what I like to breakout when Perk and I hit the lanes for a 10-pin showdown. There’s an alley nearby that’s slightly ‘hood but it doesn’t discourage us from strapping on some rental shoes, throwing some chipped, neon-color balls and trash talking each other for several games. I had won 7 straight but he got me tonight, winning 4 of 7 (we tied one) including a series-high of 211. He lambasted me in that game. My best was a 179, which came in the game we tied. Good times all around.

176.) Monday, January 14, 2013
Like all of you, I get lots of holiday cards from family and friends. Some of them are original and others aren’t. My cousin and her new husband (whose wedding I attended in May, and I think has yet to introduce himself to my mom) didn’t even sign or personalize my card. They kind of suck, to be honest. Besides the point, this was one of my favorite holiday cards this season. Our buddy from work, Jantzen and his wife, welcomed their first child over the holidays and the sight of Jantzen in a Santa outfit was enough for make me bust a gut a solid minute. Couldn’t be prouder of them.

175.) Sunday, January 13, 2013
More in “Tales From the Gym,” this time from the EFX machine, where you can’t really tell (understatement, I know) that this is a guy walking backwards on the treadmill but there is a person over there and he is, in fact, walking backwards on the treadmill. However, as I was about to make fun of him on Twitter (which is what we do in 2013 now), I noticed he was wearing a Syracuse basketball shirt. This immediately earned him a free pass. Though unless you’re a female, you should not be doing weird things on the treadmill. Next time, I won’t be as nice.

174.) Saturday, January 12, 2013
This is what a boring Saturday night looks like. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. This is what Brooklyn Decker in a bikini on a beach in Hawaii in an Adam Sandler movie looks like. But you get my point. With work early tomorrow I figured a nice, relaxing night on the couch and some HBO would be in order and got caught up watching this terrible Sandler flick. Of course, two things made it not that terrible.

173.) Friday, January 11, 2013
And we’ve reached the halfway point! Can you believe it? How many of you took the under on this project? Can’t say I blame you, given my track record for starting and stopping things, but we’ve made it. 173 down, 173 to go. Truly, thanks for coming by and checking out the pics of the day and taking the time to read the write ups. I am very grateful. Now, you might be wondering why I’m bundled up like the 100-year storm is about to hit Los Angeles, well that’s because it’s FREEZING today. Well, not freezing in the literal sense, because it was nowhere near 32 degrees out, but it sure felt like it! It was probably in the low 40s with the wind, but it was about as much of a winter day in the dead of winter out here you can get without white stuff falling from the sky. So I broke out the pea coat. Probably should’ve thrown on some gloves, but that would’ve been pushing it.

172.) Thursday, January 10, 2013
My mom is not the most technologically-advanced person. I once bought her an ipod for Valentine’s Day and it sat in the box for more than a year before she started using it. Same with a watch. She couldn’t program a VCR back in the day or even set the radio stations in her car. I taught her how to use Twitter almost four years ago and I’m shocked every time she correctly fires off a tweet, picture or comment in my direction. She even still has a flip phone. So when she told me she got an iPad for Christmas I was really confused. Could she even be able to turn it on? I was excited though, because this mean we’d be able to FaceTime and I could see her more often and my new nephew, Avery, when she was visiting. But that meant she would have to figure out how to use it. Then I got a call from her. Turned out even an old dog can learn new tricks. My mom had taught herself to use FaceTime. All on her own. To say I was surprised was an understatement. It took me several attempts to get her to smile. She’s so pretty.

171.) Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Clip Show has taken Los Angeles by storm. It was a slow-building storm. Started three seasons ago but it’s morphed into a full-fledged nor’wester. But back on opening night on October 27, 2010, the Staples Center was half full, Poole and I had center-court seats and Blake Griffin put on a show in his NBA debut. Blake finished with 20 and 14 that night and about 3 highlite dunks. The Clippers were still terrible. In fact, they started the season 1-13 and were 4-21 in mid December. But then something weird happened; they started winning. Like a lot; 14-of-their-next-21 a lot. And then something even weirder happened; people started going to the games. Blake was dunking on everyone, and while they didn’t always win, they were damn entertaining. I went as often as I could, and then they traded for Chris Paul and were suddenly contenders. Combined with the Lakers falling apart, they were a recipe for an LA-style makeover.

170.) Tuesday, January 8, 2013
There are all types of people who attend the gym and I love all of them. There’s one guy who goes to mine who looks like Ghangis Khan. I’m actually frightened by him. There’s Dancing Guy. 80s girl. The Sweater. Sings Along to His iPod Guy. Grunts Really Loud Guy. Reads Scripts On The Stairmaster Girl. Sunglasses Guy. Chick In Full Makeup. B-O Old Guy. Only Workout In A Sportsbra Girl. Worksout In Jeans Guy. Wears Favorite Sports Team Regalia Guy. And on and on and on. Maybe I fall into someone else’s category, who knows, but I don’t pass judgement at people at gym. Amused by them? Yes. But anyone willing to make the effort to show up and put the time in and sweat it out, has my respect. This is Takes Himself Too Serious Guy crossed with Team Sports Guy. He’s probably a wicked sweater, too.

169.) Monday, January 7, 2013
I played basketball today, watched some of the BCS Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama, and even watched in real time the fame and popularity of ‘Tide quarterback AJ McCarron’s girlfriend Katherine Webb explode within minutes of Brent Musberger mention her during the broadcast, but nothing was as hilarious as this from the movies tonight. See, because the game was so boring, I decided at halftime to roll up to The Grove to check out Tom Cruise’s new franchise “Jack Reacher.” I really enjoyed it. However, before the credits started rolling, this couple in front of me were reading books. They brought books to the movie theater! Who plans on getting to the movies so damn early that you’d need a book to read?! And then who decides to read in the dark?! They must have some kind of home life if they’re reading books in the movie theater.

168.) Sunday, January 6, 2013
Clearly, I was not at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland today but my great friend, VA, was. He is a diehard Redskins fan. A season-ticket holder. And he has been clinging to any shred of hope he can grasp at in recent years before My Good Friend Robert joined the team this season and became the toast of the Beltway and took the NFL by storm. This is the Redskins first playoff game since 1999. And while we all know how today ended, sadly, it was still an amazing season, and sad VA told me after the game: “hey, if someone told me before the season that our rookie qb & rookie rb would lead us to a seven game win streak & nfc east championship I’d be pretty happy.” #HTTR

167.) Saturday, January 5, 2013
The Irish have a great history on this country, and such, Irish bars are quite popular from sea to shining sea. There are a couple here in Los Angeles that Perk and I like to give our patronage, including one of the oldest in town, Todd Bergen’s, which is within walking distance of Trojan Manor. I was so hungry I failed to take a picture of my delicious burger, so instead I nabbed a shot of Perk’s soda bread and scotch in the background. This stuff was deeeeelicious, with some warm butter spread on top. Hit the spot on a late night. Seriously, if you haven’t checked this place out, take a gander. They have shamrocks with people’s names on them all over the walls and you can tell they’ve been there for YEARS. I was wondering what the chances are there’s a shamrock with our name on it. Benjamin Perkins, no doubt, I think exists somewhere. Chris Brockman might be a different story. “Maybe it’s ‘cuz I’m Irish.” Ha, great line in American cinema.

166.) Friday, January 4, 2013
Maybe it has something to do with being a Leo, but I love the camera; whether or not it loves me is up for debate. But I’m not averse to having my picture taken, except when my mom wants to take 8,000 over the holidays. Kim, however, was not a big fan of me sniping a picture while us and her roommate hung out, stuffed our faces and watched the Clippers destroy the Lakers game tonight. I tried to be sneaky but wouldn’t you know it the flash gave me a way. Eh, ya can’t win ‘em all.

165.) Thursday, January 3, 2013
I love golf and golf is great and whatnot. Golf is one of those sports where you never play as often as you’d like, but here in Los Angeles, there’s really no excuse since the weather is nearly perfect year round. It makes getting out on the course fairly easy. In this instance, Shawn, Parker and I hit up the local par 3 course down at Rancho Park. Don’t remember who won (not true, I did) but we had a great time just walking around and chasing the little white ball.

164.) Wednesday, January 2, 2013
A while back, I introduced Parker to this frozen yogurt joint on Bundy and Santa Monica. He goes all the time now. Tonight I went with him and Owl for some delicious treats. As I’ve stated in the past, the highlite is picking your own flavors, your own toppings, etc. However, at this establishment, the young lady working just left us in there all alone while she went out in the car with her boyfriend. It was very hilarious. The other awesome aspect of Twist, is the iPad stations where you can play literally any game, or at least it seems. A new friend of mine loves soccer and the EPL team Arsenal, so I tried my hand at FIFA but since I have no idea how to play, I kept it simple to the penalty kicks. I won. Booyah.

163.) Tuesday, January 1, 2013
It’s the start of the new year. A time for resolutions that last a couple weeks, the idea of starting fresh before falling back into your old routine, do-overs that lead to repeating mistakes and on and on. I’m not pessimistic, really, I’m not. I’m a realistic optimist. However, as I stated at the beginning of this project, my personal new year began back on July 23. One-hundred-and-sixty-three days ago. And here’s how I look on Day 163. With a cool ray of light shining through the window of the Noble Steed as I drive up South Spaulding Ave. I feel like this took me 163 takes to get this lighting just right, too, but it was probably more like a dozen. I felt like a sorority chick. All that was missing was my duck face. But like I’ve always said, I don’t need the beginning of a new year to decide to make vast, overhauling changes in my life. It could be morning, night or a random Monday in late July.

162.) Monday, December 31, 2012
I don’t remember when it was that New Year’s Eve became something I stopped looking forward to, but it happened and not that long ago. But it’s true. I’m really not into it anymore. It feels like a chore to find something great to do, something memorable, something you’ll always talk about. Honestly, I have no idea what I did to ring in 2012 or who I spent it with. New Year’s Eve has turned into a trip to Las Vegas for me, in a way. Whereas there’s always a ton of buildup for the expectation of something amazing but it never turns out as wild and crazy as you imagined, or like in “The Hangover.” Perhaps I’m not doing something right, and I’ll be the first to acknowledge that but when was the last time you really had a blowout, insane New Year’s Eve? When I lived on the east coast, I’d make the trip down to New York City to spend it with some college buddies in a dive bar, and that was awesome. We had some good times. But before that, I usually just spent it at home with my folks watching Dick Clark or whatever else was on. But hey, here’s to a kickass 2013.

161.) Sunday, December 30, 2012
You know how when you get a certain age when you stop caring so much about your favorite sports team and buying its apparel and crying after losses and agonizing about upcoming games? (if you answered “no” to this question, then you have a serious problem) Right, we all hit that age. It doesn’t happen overnight, but rather gradually. You don’t read as many articles, you don’t spend as much time on the team sport websites, you don’t go out of your way to avoid functions when they’re playing a meaningless mid-season game. This is Alex. He’s wearing yellow and green shoes for the Oakland Athletics, his favorite baseball team. However, they are actually Green Bay Packers shoes he bought off the custom store and he tore off the Packers logo on the  tongue. That’s dedication. That’s never growing up. That’s what America needs more of. Or less. You decide.

160.) Saturday, December 29, 2012
I went to Syracuse University. That is no secret. The years I was there, we had two-ish good football seasons. Donovan McNabb led us to an Orange Bowl appearance, and I think we won the GalleryFurniture.com bowl or something another year. Then we were saddled with Troy Nunes and RJ Anderson and we fizzled out. Then we went to the depths of the college football abyss but under Doug Marrone, we climbed out and won a pair of Pinstripe Bowl games, including today. Shawn, Sara, Alisha and I did not plan this, either. Syracuse Orange. Syracuse Orange. That’s just how we do, and as I tweeted out: “unplanned greatness.” Let’s Go Orange.

159.) Friday, December 28, 2012
One question I like to ask people I meet or am trying to get to know is: if you were on death row, the night before your execution, what would be your final meal? I’m almost positive mine would include steak, potatoes, broccoli, maybe some lasagna, a slice of pizza and an ice cream sundae and cheesecake for dessert. But, as my appetizer, I’d have to have a PBJ. I love them. Been eating them my entire life, way back when my mom used to make them for my sack lunch in elementary school. When I moved to Los Angeles it was more of a I’m-a-poor-college-student thing again so I’ll eat PBJs all the time, but I remembered how much I love them. And I’ve been eating them for the last three-and-a-half years since. Including today. And yesterday. And probably tomorrow. Crunchy peanut butter. Grape jam, too. Sugar free. What’s up.

158.) Thursday, December 27, 2012
These are the best types of text messages. The ole’ “who is this?” Clearly, I know who this person is. It’s Charles Ekeke. We went to college with this guy. He lived on our floor second semester freshman year. He’s a gigantic black man who looks like he should be in the NFL. However, he can’t catch a football, dunk a basketball or do anything athletic really aside from professional wrestling kicks and “suck it” gestures. Apparently, he does not have my number, or my buddy Parker’s, as he said he got a similar message. Charles lives in Glendale and most likely isn’t happy that we haven’t hung out with him as much as perhaps he thought when we all moved to Los Angeles. I remember when we met Charles and learned he was from out here, it seemed like another country. But still, even if it’s from a chick or someone you know, no one likes to get the “Who Is This?” text.

157.) Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Is there a harder workout than the return post-holidays? Not gonna lie, this one was a tough one. So I manned up, put on Tha U shirt and sweated out all the cookies and pies and turkey and gravy from the last few days with an “intense” workout that may or may not have included lots of long breaks between sets. Either way, it was good to be back and hopefully in the new year I can do some different kinds of workouts aside from the norm. Also, there have been some really jacked guys wearing Miami gear like they actually played for the Hurricanes, maybe I’ll keep wearing my shirt and hope that they think I played and want to talk and hang out. That would be pretty cool, don’t you think? No? Bueller?

156.) Tuesday, December 25, 2012
I only have one picture hanging in my house. It’s of my brother, sister and I at Syracuse in 2006 for my brother’s graduation. It’s a great shot of the three of us. My mom, bless her soul, sent me a new one that I will put up, today. It’s of all of us and her parents from our cousin’s wedding this past May in Baltimore. Since my grandmother had a stroke in 2006 we don’t have a lot of family gatherings and since I’ve moved west, I don’t get back as often as I’d like to see everyone. But I wasn’t going to miss this and I was glad she remembered me. She turned 80 a couple weeks ago and while she is long from the woman we all remember she still has her moments. I’ll love this picture the rest of my life and it will always hang in my home.

155.) Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve. Wow. This my 4th Christmas in Los Angeles. I remember the first one. I cried at not being home. It was my first away from my family. The time truly has flown. A year ago I was getting on a plane for Maine. I had an elaborate plan hatched with my sister, and a few others who knew, to surprise my mom on Christmas Day. I took the redeye to Boston, then took the train up to Saco where my sister and her husband were waiting for me. I ducked down in my sister’s Hyundai as we pulled in our now-paved driveway. Walk up the stairs. And my mom has no clue I’m coming home. None. I told her I was working and wasn’t going to be doing much. She turns around and I say, “ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!” and she looks me, pauses before she speaks as it processes to her than I’m physically standing there and it’s not like Tupac’s hologram, and she yells, “what are you doing here?!” And then she was pretty excited, haha. Hopefully I’ll get to watch “Christmas Vacation” this year, too. Pretty funny movie.

154.) Sunday, December 23, 2012
It’s possible I own a denim shirt. I really don’t know. I’d have to look. Might’ve owned one in high school but that’s only because my mom bought it for me. Jay Leno wears a lot of denim. I’m not sure what that means. Maybe it’s on older white republican thing. Apparently, it was denim day at NFL Network as Michelle and Brett coordinated their outfits to match the highlites they were working on. Perhaps it was a Texans game. That would make sense. What you can’t see is that they’re both wearing shiny black tights.

153.) Saturday, December 22, 2012
You know what I can appreciate? Spontaneity. I am not someone who is good at, or enjoys, making plans. This drives people crazy. I don’t even reply to e-vites. It annoys me. The whole process. It’s why I always end up working on holidays. I don’t even take the time to plan to take those off and have something interesting to do. I wrote papers in college extremely last minute (remind me to tell you some day about the 26-pager I wrote the night before it was due when I had the whole semester to work on it #ResearchOnTheFly), I asked my high school prom date to go with me like 2 weeks before and I’m sure when it comes time to do something pretty really major in my life, I will wait until it’s practically too late before I make a move on it. It’s not that I’m indecisive, no, it’s not that at all. I usually know exactly what I want to do and can tell right away if a certain something is something I want to be a part of, it’s just plans made spur of the moment tend to lend themselves to the the most fun and the best stories. Like today, for instance. This is what “hi,” “tickets are pretty cheap,” “yeah?” and “let’s do it” look like. Awesome.

152.) Friday, December 21, 2012
Did you know that in the state of Nevada, if you are under the age of 21, you are not allowed to play, place wagers or collect winnings from any gambling game, slot machine, race book, sports pool or pari-mutuel operation? I did because I read this sign upon entering the Mirage. Also, said persons, are not allowed to loiter in or about any room or premises wherein any licensed game, race book, sports pool or pari-mutuel wagering is operated or conducted OR remain in any area where spirituous malt or fermented liquors or wins are sold. Go figure.

151.) Thursday, December 20, 2012
The internet is a strange place and that’s an understatement. I’m as guilty as this as anyone else, though not to the extent of most, but it’s become a public Dear Diary on an hourly basis where folks young and old spew information nearly all could care less about. Sure, there’s an audience for everything and it’s just a matter of finding that audience, I won’t argue that. This is the Twitter feed this afternoon of someone I follow. He’s recapping various online dating experiences of the last couple years with the candor reserved for pay cable. It’s pretty hilarious, if you ask me. It’s also crude and piggish. This is not an endorsement of this behavior. He should write a book. It would probably read like a Tucker Max ripoff, but it would be damn interesting. One man’s adventures in “love” in an online world.

150.) Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Whenever I think about company holiday parties, I always picture something from a movie or TV show. Everyone acting all sophisticated and uppity, eating finger food and hobnobbing. And then there’s the one person who drinks far too much and makes a fool of themselves. Also, it seems like no one really wants to be there but they all show up anyway. Then I always think about the Elaine dancing scene from Seinfeld, where she does the kick becomes the sneaky hit of the show and everyone makes fun of her the next day. I don’t know who has holiday parties on a weekday, but hey, a good time was had by all.

149.) Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Did some holiday shopping today, which is probably the earliest I’ve ever even ATTEMPTED such a thing. Of course, a good portion of it was spent looking for things for me, but I am a person too, and I have holiday needs like everyone else in my family. However, walking around The Grove I couldn’t help but admire and feel for these lovely ladies. They were parked in front of the movie theater belting out holiday tunes; this one in particular, “Santa Clause Is Coming to Town” and I noted to myself at the time, it’s cold enough to feel like he’s coming to town in LA! Man, I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come here, because I moved here to get away from the cold, not be surrounded by it during the winter months. Great tune, though. And excellent use of the sousaphone.

148.) Monday, December 17, 2012
Championship fights are pretty rare these days. Heavyweight fights worth watching or paying attention to are non-existent but when the little guys get together and knock each other around, there’s just something explosive. And even though this Pacquiao/Marquez fight was over a week ago, it was still worth watching on the replay to see the counterpunches and knockdowns, and of course, Marquez’s winning blow. Which came in the closing seconds of the 6th round. I watched the fight live from Hollywood Blvd. with about 75 of my closest ethnic-speaking, intoxicated friends. But when Marquez’s right glove connected with Pacquiao’s nose were all friends, jumping up and down and slapping each other awkward high fives. Perk and I did about the opposite when it happened tonight.

147.) Sunday, December 16, 2012
Arguably the game of the year in the NFL occurred today and here was it our cutsheet looked like for it. Good times. 6-and-a-half minute highlite for a regular season game. Kinda hard to believe, but when you think about this 49ers/Patriots game a few things will come to mind. First, how sloppy the game was early on, then how the 49ers turned it on and made this game a blowout. Next, how the Patriots, down 31-3, got back into the game and tied it at 31-31 in the 4th quarter, and lastly, how San Fran responded immediately with a long kick return and TD pass to take the lead for good. We can only hope for a Super Bowl rematch.

146.) Saturday, December 15, 2012
Today is my pops’ birthday and since he hasn’t come to visit me yet, I can’t post a picture here of his trip. I tweeted out a few old skool pics of us, which brought back some great memories. Additionally, I hosted a party for our friend Brad who had a birthday earlier in the week and it turned into quite the shin dig. We had a great turnout of our usual crew, they did a power hour, maybe a power 90 though I doubt everyone did every single shot. Emo’s brother, Blob, made the trip up from San Diego and when he’s in town thing always get a little wild. Tonight was no exception. After leaving my place we made our way over to Gabe’s, this crappy, dive bar near the highway that when you walk inside, you feel like you’re back in central New York. It has that Syracuse-y feel to it and the clientele looks the same. But, of course, we rocked the mic, finished the night strong and everyone got home in one piece. (We hope.)

145.) Friday, December 14, 2012
A horrible, horrible thing happened today in Newtown, Connecticut. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around this latest tragedy. It has be really thrown. Really. Questioning a lot of things. Wondering what to do or how to act. Feeling good or laughing and enjoying myself the rest of the day doesn’t feel right. But I had to get out of the house for a minute and get a bite to eat so I came to Chipotle and a guy in front of me was wearing these shoes. I think they’re awesome. I really like shoes, but I’m particularly choosy about which ones I actually purchase. I’m not sure I could pull these off but I’m thankful this person thinks they can. Kermit is an OG.

144.) Thursday, December 13, 2012
We all grew up watching cartoons. If you didn’t, then I’m not sure we can be friends. My favorites were He-Man, Voltron, Thundercats, Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, Doug, Bugs Bunny and a ton more I can’t remember. Mostly ’80s stuff. I have no idea if kids still watch cartoons? What do they watch nowadays. I was always thankful my mom recorded hours and hours worth of VHS tapes of those old cartoons so my brother and sister could enjoy them, too. So when I saw my friend drinking out of this mug, I knew I had to make it today’s picture. Just a throwback to the days when all that mattered were sitting your butt on the couch and dialing up some cartoons and escaping into their world for a few hours. Those were good days. Simpler days.

143.) Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Living in Maine, there are vanity license places everywhere you turn. I don’t know what the exact total is, but I’d be willing to guess Maine has the highest per capita vanity plate ratio in the country. Virginia is probably next and then I’m not sure, but I’ve always loved wherever I traveled, trying to guess what people’s plates mean. Some are easy and some not so much. I honestly have no clue what this one is supposed to be. Bears truck? Bar streak. Breast rack? Ya got me. I threw it out to my Twitter followers and the guesses weren’t much better.

142.) Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Decided to do some Christmas shopping today. Not sure why, because I always tend to do most of mine in the days leading up to Dec. 25, but I ventured out to Target to see if I could find some early-ish deals for the family and came across this beauty. I wanted to buy it but figured its shelf life was pretty short. It’s not like the one we have now, the red fishes, but would still be pretty cool. I like the colors. Maybe next year.

141.) Monday, December 10, 2012
It’s officially the Christmas season at Trojan Manor! The holidays are both fun and stressful for every reason you’d imagine so: your family. They bring you great joy and misery and we love them for both. However, when you’re 3,400 miles away you have to do what you can to get in the spirit. It’s almost a little too early for Christmas music for me, but when Perk and his girl put up a tree on Sunday night, I had no objections. Decorating the tree is a tradition in every household, I’m sure and at the Brockman’s it was an event. We always waited a little later in the month and did it on my dad’s birthday on December 15. That kick-started the holidays for us and usually we kept it up through the new year. One time, my mom decided she didn’t want the mess of a real tree and used a fake one, so I protested and didn’t participate in trimming. She was not pleased but sometimes you have to take a stand.

140.) Sunday, December 9, 2012
As you know, on Sunday nights, I don’t roll back to Trojan Manor until late, which means I have to park kinda far away, which means I walk past some interesting homes and apartment buildings, which means there’s always some peculiar things outside for pickup. Like these shoes. Perfectly placed. It’s a tradition in the wrestling world (not WWF, the real kind) for a wrestler to place his shoes on the edge of the mat as a signal of his retirement. Rulon Gardner did it during his last Olympic run in 2004 in Athens and when I walked past these shoes I just pictured some morally loose individual walking them out after a one-night stand to signal her retirement from the slut game. Like she found The One tonight or this weekend and was giving up her clubbing ways. How great would that be?

139.) Saturday, December 8, 2012
One of the more famous buildings in Los Angeles is the legendary Capitol Records. It sits atop Vine St. and Yucka and was the home to the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Seger, Diana Ross, Queen and the list goes on and on and on. If you’re a singer coming up in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s you wanted to be repped by Capitol. On this night, as Perk, his girl and I walked through looking for a spot to watch the Manny Pacquiao/Juan Manuel Marquez fight, I noticed this glowing cylinder coming from the Hollywood sky. Turns out it was a bigass Christmas tree. I dig that.

138.) Friday, December 7, 2012
First, I’d like to give a shoutout to my grandmother. Today is her 80th birthday. She had a stroke about 6 years ago and hasn’t been in a good shape for some time so it’s wonderful that she’s still with us. Got to spend some time with her at my cousin’s wedding and while she couldn’t speak for all that long, she knew who I was and we were able to share a few laughs and I’ll have that memory forever. Love you, grandma. Today Espe and I re-created the shot Wayne and I did last week. She didn’t want to be outdone by him. I think she accomplished that.

137.) Thursday, December 6, 2012
This is someone in Oakland that I’m guessing Rich Eisen doesn’t know who made this sweatshirt and thought it was the greatest thing ever. I’m shocked he doesn’t have his face painted and spiked shoulder pads coming out of his shirt, but that’s another story for another day. During the end of this contest between the Broncos and the Raiders the camera panned to this guy in the crowd. Why he thinks Rich is #1 I don’t know. I’m not gonna argue with him. I’m a fan. He appears to have something written on it. Perhaps he met Rich before the show. I really should just ask him and then see if we can get this guy on the podcast to recreate the thought process that went into making this. Did I lose anyone yet?

136.) Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Started getting some Christmas cards in the mail recently and a couple from my mom and sister, who’s showing off little Avery at any chance she can get. And who could blame her. Look at that kid. He’s a button. Love him already and we’ve never made eye contact. We’ve sorta spoke, but not really. He’s just making noises at this point and I’m yelling his name in a really high-pitched tone. But what I thought was hilarious about this is that my mom would send me a Christmas post card (with Moose, mind you) with a Hawaiian shirt stamp. It’s hilarious, really. And totally something she would do, and clearly did. Love her. She’s the best.

135.) Tuesday, December 4, 2012
So I’m almost home, and if you’ve ever driven over by Fairfax and Olympic you know it’s a gigantic cluster F. We had a similar intersection back in Biddeford that was called 5 points, this is at least 12 points. So there’s a part where I had to merge to get over to turn at onto my street at the Chinese place, well this guy in the old style Rolls Royce nearly runs right into me. Naturally, and may I say correctly most of the time, he assumed I would get out of the way because he has the nicer car and is older, and therefore should have the right away. What he didn’t know, is that I’m a prick New England driver. I will get from the far left lane to the right lane and make the exit in an 1/8 of a mile. And I was not backing down to some douche in a Rolls.

134.) Monday, December 3, 2012
This is your classic “I forgot to take a pic on Self Portrait Monday and no one wants to see me in bed so here’s what I stare at every night instead” shot. Yup, that’s what this is. I recently moved my bed around in my room, which anyone knows is a major move for a bedroom. It changes the whole dynamic of the room. The fung chuai, or however you spell it. I really have no idea what that means, but it seemed to work out all right for Tom Hanks in that “Larry Crowne” movie. My room is really a work in progress, anyway. I always want to move stuff around and do it in doses. It’s like a Continental drift, to be honest. We’ve lived in this spot for 2 years now and I still have things in boxes from that move and bags of clothes from that move. Maybe I’ll get around to tending to them. Or maybe I’ll just throw everything out in one big upheaval. I’ll do it. Don’t tempt me.

133.) Sunday, December 2, 2012
My fantasy football team has been a disaster this season. I can’t pinpoint where it started to go downhill but you could argue that it was at the Draft, or even the night before the Draft when we announced our keepers. I like to always say, “I draft winners” and in this instance, I should’ve kept only winners, which means I should’ve let Maurice-Jones-Drew go back into the pool. Instead, I kept him, knowing that Matt Ryan would most likely fall to me at the 13th pick. Then, I’d have my top 3 guys from my 2011 runner-up team on my hopefully explosive 2012 team. Well, wouldn’t you know the guy right before me, who already had Matthew Stafford, drafted Matt Ryan just to be a dick. I was forced to trade to get the guy I wanted rather than settle for Tony Romo or Philip Rivers and had to swap out some draft picks which meant my receivers were less-than optimal. This plagued me all year. HOWEVER, I’m still in position to make the playoffs, and I’m well on my way to winning this week. After then, who knows. It’s all luck, anyway. Not Andrew.

132.) Saturday, December 1, 2012
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen “Back to the Future,” but it’s up there. Triple digits for sure. We all have those movies. I have more than 10, I’m guessing, but with this one, I could quote it from beginning to end, and never get tired of doing so; I can’t speak for people I watch it with, however. It’s not the perfect movie, then again, what is? But it’s perfect for me, right down to the happy ending. Can you think of a better Saturday night than finding this on, propping your feet up and devouring a bowl of cereal?

131.) Friday, November 30, 2012
I was on graphics for Around the League today. Not my normal gig, but I embraced it and had fun with it. I had two good operators helping me out, too, which made it a lot easier. Wayne was one of those operators. Now, before the show we print out the rundowns so it’s easier for them to follow along and know what graphic to fly next, rather than me telling them. Well, this sheet happened to be on the printer. It’s notifying no one in particular that the elevator is out until Wednesday, but the parts have been ordered and if they come early and fixed, it’ll be ready Tuesday. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

130.) Thursday, November 29, 2012
So this is kinda gross, but also pretty hilarious and basically summed up today. I needed to take a mid-work #2 break when I got a text message from my good friend, Parker. It read: “I am taking the grossest dump at Ralph’s right now.” I had to laugh, because I was doing the same thing. So I sent him back a video. From the pot. Because that’s waht friends do.

.

129.) Wednesday, November 28, 2012
At Bagley and Venice, it is raining. It is cloudy. It is, dare I say, winter-like in Los Angeles. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s one of the first days of the latter part of the year that the weather is such. But for other residents of this fair town, it bothers them greatly. Nearly to the point where they lost their minds. Can’t see straight. Can’t think straight. Can’t drive straight. It’s just rain, people. It’s just cold, people. It’s just the elements, people.

128.) Tuesday, November 27, 2012
This is my nephew, Avery. Isn’t he the cutest baby? BrockmanMary sends me pictures all the time of him. She said she tries to go over to my sister’s house every couple days to visit and spend time with the little guy. I like how my sister has him all decorated (like he’s a tree or something) in Christmas colors already. IT’S NOT EVEN DECEMBER YET?!? Clearly having a baby as caused my sister to lose her mind. But as long she let’s Avery come visit me out here in SoCal for his 8th birthday, I’ll let it slide. Let’s hope I’m still out there in 8 years.

127.) Monday, November 26, 2012
Self Portrait Monday. I need to have more fun with this. I understand no one wants to see me driving in my car with my $10 Venice Boardwalk Ray Bams but this is what you get, folks. Look at my fashionable stubble. I’ve been going with it for No Shave November since I didn’t want to rock the full on ‘stache. Maybe next year I’ll go full-on beard. We’ll see. And yes, safety first.

126.) Sunday, November 25, 2012
This is what a Thanksgiving Weekend Who Can Gain The Most Weight Contest with VA looks like. It looks like me, packing on nearly 10 pounds in four days. Was it worth it? You’re damn right. Did I win? Nope. Turns out that little bastard can eat.

125.) Saturday, November 24, 2012
This what late November in Beverly Hills looks like. I wish I was making this up but for real, it’s the perfect weather to fly a kite. Cruising down the streets with the windows down, I could just drive all day, all around town. The skies so blue and the palm trees so green, don’t hate on me for this, don’t be that mean. This is our life, we take the good with the bad. It’s not our fault where we live is so rad. The traffic sucks, so there, take that. Look, just the other day I got into it with a cat. He was at Parker’s house, just sitting on his porch. I sat with him before going to the store. Where was I, I’m lost, oh right. Look at this picture and tell me this isn’t a beautiful sight.

124.) Friday, November 23, 2012
One of the fun things about being home for Thanksgiving is going out and seeing old high school classmates and people in the community. I wasn’t at home this year, but did get a text from Chrissy wanting to see who was in town and wanted to meet up. With nothing do, I ventured out. Aaaaand this happened. Pitchers of beer through a straw. Among other things. Good time was had by all.

123.) Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. How was your day? Hopefully you spent it with family and loved ones and enjoyed plates and plates, helpings and helpings of your favorite eats and trimmings. Here at NFL Network, were  treated to all the traditional goodies. The forefathers would’ve been proud. I think I ended up eating about four plate fulls, including some pumpkin pie. I’m not really a pie eater. I like cheesecake and chocolate things, not necessarliy pumpkin or apple, but I did have a slice of each and enjoyed them. When I think back to my favorite Thanksgiving memories, they always include football and food and being at home with my folks and brother and sister and Luke. Watching the specials on TV and maybe playing games at night. I miss those days. Dearly.

122.) Wednesday, November 21, 2012
When you’re slaving away in the edit bay, your food choices are limited. My editor, Paul, likes to go to Baja Fresh and this vegan thai place or something. However, on this night, I talked him into walking down the street to Cinqo de Mayo for some crappy mexican. The best thing about CDM is that it’s open 24 hours. The worst part, is that it’s open 24 hours. I’m guessing this food is gonna run right through me like Montezuma’s revenge, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take.

121.) Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Our run of celebs stopping by the Network to tape segments for our Thanksgiving Special had a fantastic finish as “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet, a giant Chiefs fan, stopped in and destroyed. When that red light hit, he got in the groove but it was the story he told us off camera that had us rolling the most. Here he is mid-telling of the time he was at a Chiefs game wearing a John Alt jersey. ES sorta resembles the former lineman and some inebriated fans mistook him for the KC legend, congratulating him and telling him how awesome he was. On his next pass, another fan started booing, saying, “you’re not John Alt!” as if ES was trying to pass himself off. Hilarious.

120.) Monday, November 19, 2012
I’ve never taken the bus or any public form of transformation outside of the New York City subway, and even then that’s only because it’s the cheapest way to get around town. If you live in New York or visit you know it’s always an entertaining ride. Out here in LA, we don’t really have a subway/train so people take the bus. I am not one of those people. So on my way to work today, I had to snap a shot of a couple peeps waiting near my house. What goes through your mind while you’re waiting? Are you judging everyone else while they secretly judge you? How far do you have to go? How early did you get here? How long have you been waiting? Do you have a long day? Maybe some day I’ll make like that Josh Hartnett movie where he rides the bus all day for fun on a date. That might be something. Or not.

119.) Sunday, November 18, 2012
More interviews for our Thanksgiving Special on a busy, busy Sunday full of games. Not sure how we snuck these two giant stars in and out of the studio without causing a ruckus but we managed. In case you can’t tell, that’s Chris Tucker between me and Law, and Bradley Cooper to the far right, rocking the Eagles lid. These guys couldn’t have been cooler in promoting their new movie “Silver Linings Playbook” and just talking about whatever, whether it was being from Philly like Cooper or making another “Rush Hour” movie like Tucker told us he’s hoping for. And I wish you could’ve seen Tucker’s belt. Enough bling on that thing to light up the studio. Both guys were taller, too, that I expected. Cool moment. Can’t wait to see that segment on the show.

118.) Saturday, November 17, 2012
You know how Will Ferrell rattles off his weekend in “Old School” and he’s like, “I got a good little Saturday planned?” That’s how I feel about my Saturday. It ended up being pretty full. Work involved another interview for our Thanksgiving Special with the great John Slattery of “Mad Men,” who ended up being just like this TV character. Then I bolted from there to Staples Center for the Clippers/Bulls game with a friend of mine. They were rooting for the Bulls, which is fine. Good thing the Clips came to play, however, and the game was never close. Then, I headed home and convinced Perk and the G to head over to The Grove where not only do they have Santa’s workshop set up but they also serve delicious BBQ. Ribs, mac & cheese and greens. Can’t beat it.

117.) Friday, November 16, 2012
Reports broke today that the company Hostess, home of the Twinkie, was going to liquidate its assets after a worker strike had left them unable to make deliveries. Well, that made me and Slade want to go out and get a couple two packs to eat in honor of one of the greatest snacks of all-time. That got me thinking, though, when was the last time I actually enjoyed one of these torpedos of deliciousness? At least a decade was the answer I came up with and I realized why as soon as I took a few bites. I immediately felt sick, but of course, I finished both in about 6 total bites. And you can bet it’ll be another decade before I have another. Oh, and the greatest Twinkie movie reference in history, with all due respect to “Zombieland,” Ernie Hudson’s Twinkie speech from “Ghostbusters.”

116.) Thursday, November 15, 2012
As I’ve stated before, I love the billboards at the end of my street. I wanted to keep a blog of every time they changed, but a few people told me that was stupid, so I scrapped it. However, this one got me EXCITED. I noticed it after dropping off our college buddy “Sweet” Louis Goldstein, who was in town for a day on business, at the airport. If you don’t know what this billboard is for, then I feel for you. You’re really missing out. Just know, war is coming.

115.) Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Today is an awesome day. It’s my mom’s birthday. She turns about 28, ha, or so it seems. She’s literally the greatest person I know and I love her more than anything. Back in March, we gave each other early birthday presents, when she came out to visit for 5 incredible days. I can’t describe everything we did but we pretty much covered it: talk show, beach, piers, Beverly Hills, The Grove, movies, Hollywood Blvd., Roscoe’s, happy hours, dinners and on and on. We are a lot of like in that we’re loud, opinionated and more times than not end up being the life of wherever we go, and the night of this picture was no different. If this doesn’t sum up our relationship, I don’t know what does. Wish I was there to give you a giant hug and kiss today, mom. Love you.

114.) Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I had to get some work done on my car today and where I dropped it off was semi-close to work. There’s a church on the walk back, and like every church, they have inspirational messages on their board. Some of them are ironically hilarious and others just make you laugh. This one made me laugh.

113.) Monday, November 12, 2012
One of the issues I’ve had since living on my own is creating dishes to eat and literally going grocery shopping. As many of you know, it’s very quite easier to just go out to eat and have someone do the cooking for you? Hench, I don’t go grocery shopping that often but when I do, I usually only buy the essentials. And those are pretty much illustrated here with my Monday night purchase: milk cereal, beans, avocados, lunch meat, salsa, triscuits. Bachelor food. For better or worse.

112.) Sunday, November 11, 2012
Here at NFL Network, and I imagine every other network and news station in the country, we have these giant clocks everywhere. It not only tells the time, but everything that gets recorded has a time code, and when you’re working with the editor, that’s the information they want to know to easily find plays. And so these giant red clocks make it easy to just look up and write it down.

111.) Saturday, November 10, 2012
You know how on Twitter when people post pictures and they want to make sure people know it hasn’t been effected up by Instagram or any other of those camera apps, they put #NoFilter? Well, this is one of those where I feel the need to let everyone know that no filter was used. This is just me, in traffic, checking out the blue sky by the famous Santa Monica Pier sign on my way to brunch. Pretty awesome, if you ask me. And definitely something we as Californians (man, that’s weird to type) take for granted.

110.) Friday, November 9, 2012
With nothing to do on a Friday night, I accepted Berger’s invite to roll over to his Venice crib, where he lives with his girlfriend, for an evening of conversation and dinner. This is what the aftermath of that looks like. Artichoke, bread, wine, butter, cheese, pasta and all that good stuff. We even found time to talk about Somalians in Minnesota, the new porn law, the top Indi and Action movies of all time and books. Seriously, we covered it all.

109.) Thursday, November 8, 2012
One of the ballot initiatives in California, this election, was a measure to have porn actors wear condoms during filming. This is clearly an important issue facing Californians. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I partake in some porn I don’t want a condom ruining my experience. Apparently, I was the minority. Though, as my friend who “accidentally” voted for it said, what if you meet someone who was with someone who was with someone who was with someone who was with a porn star once? OK, good point.

108.) Wednesday, November 7, 2012
In high school English class our sophomore year, we watched “Dead Poets Society” and promptly started making fun of the message and the various classic one-liners throughout. We were 15, what did you expect? Our favorite, or at least mine, aside from ‘O Captain, my captain,” was the poem exercise when the kid gets up and says, “the cat is on the mat.” That’s what I’m thinking right here, despite the obvious that there are fish on our door mat. The fish are on the dish. Yeah, that works.

107.) Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Today was Election Day. An important day. Each election is historic in its own right. My college professor got me excited about politics. He made it fun and interesting. But lately, I haven’t been into it. Everyone sounds the same and never seems to get anything done. As it where, today was the day we decided between Mitt Romney, the Republican challenger, and President Barack Obama. As you can see, the President was re-elected and the fellas over at Shade 45 were quite excited. I found this quite amusing and shocked they didn’t back the rich, white guy from Utah & Massachusetts.

106.) Monday, November 5, 2012
I’m not sure how big the Mo-vember phenomenon is nationwide, but out here in California it’s huge. If only for one month we all look like hipsters. I think I’m gonna give it a go. We’ll see how long it lasts or how long I keep it up. I’ve always had scruff or a goatee or something. In fact, the last time I completely shaved my face with a razor was for my prom in 1998. I just like facial hair, I like the look and apparently others do as well. Mustaches, however, are a different beast. This isn’t going to end well.

105.) Sunday, November 4, 2012
Every year, I always think to myself how cool it would be if I bought some team gear of the best player, or my keeper, from my Retired Orangemen fantasy team.  Every year I never do it. I really wanted to make my own t-shirt for Arian Foster but my keeper years with him are up after this season. But, with my drafting of Matt Ryan in 2012, I decided enough was enough. He’s a good Boston College kid, he married a girl from Maine and I made the decision that if the Falcons got off to a hot start I was going to pull the trigger and BAM! There she is. The on field fitted. I took a little grief from people early on, asking what’s with the Falcons lid since I am known here as a Patriots fan and I just tell them I’m rolling with Matty Ice and they get it. Sharp hat, though.

104.) Saturday, November 3, 2012
The Rose Bowl is one of the most famous sports stadiums in America and I’m almost disappointed in myself it took me this long to get over there, but I’m glad I finally did. UCLA vs. Arizona. Homecoming 2012. I went with a great Bruin alum and we had an awesome time tailgating with friends before the game and once we got in the stadium. OK, maybe it helped that the home team won in a blowout, but everything couldn’t have gone more to plan than it did.

103.) Friday, November 2, 2012
I’ve said before that I think churches are modern marvels in architecture. They’re amazing. I basically wrote half of a wedding column about churches; the stained-glassed windows, the pews, the organs, the nostalgia and on and on. They are amazing. And some of them are ancient. The fact that these masterpieces were built in the age they were astounds me. I wonder how it was done. Could you imagine a time lapse of a church built in 1835 being built? That would be absolutely incredible. This church, on the corner of Highland and Franklin, just north of Hollywood and Highland complex, might be my favorite in Los Angeles. I’m sure there are others, I just haven’t seen them yet.

102.) Thursday, November 1, 2012
One of the cool things about the iPhone is the ability to video chat. Now that I’m an uncle, I hope to use this option a lot in the future (of course, my sister needs to get an iPhone). On this day, I had to dial up my old roommate, Chris, on his birthday since we had been attempting to use this for a few months and never got it to work. He gave me a great tour of his new house in Buffalo, and I got to have some one-on-one time with his daughter Madeline. A happy birthday, indeed.

101.) Wednesday, October 31, 2012
For the second straight year, I had the opportunity to attend what I call “this fancy Hollywood Halloween party” courtesy of my buddy Shawn. And for the second straight year, we had a fantastic time. Located at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery off Santa Monica Blvd., this party is nearly straight out of a movie. It’s sponsored by some liquor, there were food trucks, a mini-donut station, carnival games, a canopied dance floor with a DJ, and the most outrageous costumes and people in costumes you’ve ever seen. Good times. Hope to go next year.

100.) Tuesday, October 30, 2012
When I signed up for Twitter over three years ago, I had no idea what type of journey I’d be embarking on. It’s a wonderful medium, when used properly. Naturally, I think I do it right. I’ve had three different handles in this time period, recently taking ownership of @ChrisBrockman. Before the 2011 football season, I switched from @cbrock723 to @chris_brockman, and now I’m following myself. You know you’ve reached some point in your life (not sure what point that is, specifically) where a fake you starts following you on a social media site. This made for a good laugh.

99.) Monday, October 29, 2012
There’s nothing I like better than people watching and the gym is a great place to do just that. Creeping in between sets should be an Olympic sport. After this 365 project is over I have an idea for a new one, but I’m not going to divulge it here, just know it involves the gym. Little known fact: the first concert I ever attended was Britney Spears, 1999, New York State Fair. It was her and 98 Degrees. My roommate and I were babysitting his cousins (who are now grown adults) and we all went. Ended up having a pretty good time if I remember correctly. Those were the days.

98.) Sunday, October 28, 2012
Movies are a big part of my life. I’ve written about this before here, I believe, but when I got called out on a recent Rich Eisen Podcast for not having seen “Midnight Run” I felt a little amateurish. I know there are movies, even great ones, that I haven’t seen. Either I just haven’t gotten to them yet, or they slipped through the cracks growing up. “Midnight Run” is one of those that just slipped through the cracks. I’d heard of it, just never seen it. Without giving anything away, I dialed it up on iTunes late night after a full day of NFL and it didn’t disappoint. If you haven’t checked it out, do yourself a favor. One of the original buddy flicks. Robert DeNiro doing his DeNiro thing and Charles Grodin putting his star on the map.

97.) Saturday, October 27, 2012
I’m not a huge Halloween person. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, Halloween is for kids to get dressed up, get in the spirit and indulge in some sugar for a night. It’s fun. I get it. When I was a kid, we lived in government housing in Virginia, and it was the most fun Halloweens I can remember. We would do our house all scary for the other kids in the neighborhood. Mom would blast haunted music. We’d go over to the Navy housing and trick or treat over there. Everyone had a blast. Same, too, when we lived in Alaska. My dad would take me to the mall, which was decorated up to the max, and then I’d come home and dump my bag out on the living room floor and figure out what I was going to eat first.  Since moving to Los Angeles, though, I’ve kinda gotten back into the Halloween mix. This is in the once city, I’m guessing New York and Las Vegas, maybe Miami are a few others, where people go nuts for it. Parties everywhere, just out of control. Either way, I don’t hate the “holiday” as much as I did in my 20s when I never dressed up and either worked or passed out candy to the 5 kids who showed up out in the boondocks of Maine to our house. Can you guess what we are?

96.) Friday, Ocbtober 26, 2012
Sleeping in a bar should be against the law, like knocking your drink over on the table or drinking beer through a straw. Party hats are always a good idea and staged photos are what they are. However, when you have the chance to celebrate your friend, you take the ball and run with it far. Phil turned 29 on this Friday night, his girl wanted a surprise party so we did it right. We slammed into Renee’s, this small joint, and talked, laughed and had our games on point. But at night’s end we all just sorta crashed, our heads fell where they were, but we awoke by the flash, of the camera pointed at our beautiful mugs, remember kids, hugs not drugs.

95.) Thursday, October 25, 2012
Since I don’t drink alcohol, I’m always getting dirty looks from bartenders and servers after I say, ” water’s fine for me, please.” However, from time to time, I see if I can them to make me a milkshake. I love ice cream. It’s probably one of the things I can’t live without. I’m always on the lookout for the perfect one. So when the opportunity arose tonight to dial up a chocolate shake, even if it was at Barney’s, I had to jump on it. And it didn’t disappoint. Neither did Pablo Sandoval.

94.) Wednesday, October 24, 2012
After channeling my inner Lance Armstrong (the biking part, not the doping and then lying about it for a decade while I racked up millions of dollars and told people I’d end them, part) for my commute to work for a couple weeks, I realized one thing: I kinda like biking. In a way, I always have. Back in high school, before I had a car, I’d bike to football practice at 7am and then again in the afternoon (double sessions were the worst). I was in phenomenal shape (I was also 16). So yeah, I’ve started biking at the gym as part of my workout. Starting with what my commute to work was (4.5 miles) and see where I can go from there. It ends up not being very long but a very good workout. #ThighsOfSteel

93.) Tuesday, October 23, 2012
It’s generally accepted as fact that the Department of Motor Vehicles is the worst place on Earth. You’d rather be waterboarded than have to spend any time at the DMV. Well, after purchasing a new vehicle recently, I had to spend some time there today. In fact, not only did I have to go there once, but I ended up having to leave and come back a second time. Actually, it didn’t end there. I had to leave for a second time and come BACK for a third. Three separate trips to the DMV in one day. That’s about a decade’s worth of trips, as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, this was my second ticket of the day.  Thankfully, I was able to make an appointment for my second and third trips, so my wait wasn’t as long as some. Just no one looks happy to be there. It’s like we’re all cast in ‘The Walking Dead.’

92.) Monday, October 22, 2012
It’s been a couple weeks since the last Self Portrait Monday, so I had to bring it back for a little Wendy’s run. I’m not sure when it was that I got back to eating this garbage, but it’s actually quite tasty. I can see why old people and fatty’s prefer it over the other fast food joints. It’s actually become out “thing” on the Sunday and Monday late shifts at NFL; someone makes a run, we all chip in, gorge ourselves and then feel like crapola during the second half of the late games. I’ve been crushing the asiago chicken sandwich, medium fry and then a Jr. bacon cheeseburger. Delicious. It’s like it’s Winter 2008 at the JT all over again. Ha. Those were the days. Must stop.

91.) Sunday, October 21, 2012
I’ve said it before and it begs repeating: no one makes a better breakfast sandwich than me. No one. So after a long Sunday at the NFL there was nothing I wanted more than one of these greasy babies. Two eggs. Avocado. Turkey bacon. Pepper jack cheese. Some of that smokey chipotle tabasco sauce and a tall glass of milk to wash it down. Look at that thing. It’s like perfection on a plate. It went down quick and smooth, too. Swing on by the Manor sometime, I’ll make you one.

90.) Saturday, October 20, 2012
There’s a semi-misnomer about living in cities that there’s a lack of vegetation, a lack of forestry, a lack of that outdoorsy-feel, if you will. I won’t say that’s completely off-based for Los Angeles, however. I’ve seen some plants and trees out here I’ve never seen in my life. My east-coast senses were sneezing for months when I first moved out here. And I’m not sure what I like the most: the giant, fat cacti or the tall, wide odd-looking trees that go on for days. Nothing makes sense out here and that’s true with Mother Nature, but I did like seeing this huge leaf on the sidewalk on Melrose Ave. tonight. It was too good to just walk by and forget about. So green, especially for late October.

89.) Friday, October 19, 2012
I’m not really going to take the time to look it up at this very moment, but I’ve been told that “karaoke” is Japanese for “bad singing,” which makes a lot of sense. We’ve all heard, and most likely performed, some bad karaoke in our lives. Some of it we’re extremely proud of, and others we wished no one had heard. Really, we all perform this on a daily basis in our showers and cars. I could care less. I think I sound awesome. I’m not so much a singer as I am a performer. Parker and I have done duets before but nothing like we performed tonight. Our friend, Erin, had a going-away bar crawl and our former favorite joint, Gas Lite, was the first stop, so we had to put on a “show” for those in attendance. We wanted to do something bad. And apparently, we wanted to do something we barely knew the words to, because we ended up choosing “Are you Jimmy Ray?” by Jimmy Ray. It wasn’t until about halfway through the song that I remembered the beat to this terrible 90s jam. Parker was just saying every one of our friends throughout. It worked, I thought. As I told him afterwards, it doesn’t hurt to have another duet in your back pocket. Supposedly, there’s video of this somewhere. Let’s hope it never sees the light of the internet.

88.) Thursday, October 18, 2012
This may seem like an obvious point, but it’s one I’ll make regardless: one of the coolest little things about living out here, of which there are many, is how into the entertainment industry everyone is. Just about everyone you run into has some connection to TV or film or sports or music or something. Such, there is much more advertising for the products than in other places, like, say, Maine. I happen to work down the street from the Sony studio lot and drive by it every day. There are always enormous billboards for their movies and television shows on the sides of their buildings. I happen to be really anticipating the newest James Bond film. And I happen to notice how the light reflected off the white-themed poster the other morning at about 5:55 a.m. and thought it looked pretty freakin’ neat.

87.) Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t know what this is or who it is, or what it’s supposed to be. But when the Giants and Cardinals game went to a rain delay and TBS went to the Ricki Lake show came on as a filler and went to THIS … I was as my high school football coach used to say, a ball in tall grass: LOST. Now that I think about it, it would be one heckuva Halloween costume. It looks like John Goodman in drag and even then, this person (I’m not convinced it’s a woman) is not as good looking as Goodman.

86.) Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Like most Americans, I get into the Presidential Election in the months leading up to the date. I don’t care much for the year-plus of campaigning that precedes the November ballot day. Such, I get really into the debates and wouldn’t you know it, the debate tonight between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama featured one of the great all-time phrases to come out of it. Romney claimed, when he was governor of Massachusetts, that most of the applicants for jobs in his administration where men. He then said to his staff to find him some women, and they brought him “binders full of women” for which to find some qualified applicants. Immediately, there was a Twitter handle and fake tweets and on and on. It was too good for me to NOT to change one of my fantasy football team names. Good luck, team.

85.) Monday, October 15, 2012
Every October the National Football League partners to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness. The league, coaches, players and officials all wear special pink cleats, socks, towels, hats, ribbons, everything to show support against breast cancer. It’s really neat and special that the entire league gets behind such a worthy cause. I believe the idea sprung from a few of the owners’ wives. Here’s the football that every game has been using. Very cool stuff.

84.) Sunday, October 14, 2012
It’s annoying when people (mostly girls) celebrate their birthdays or other seemingly meaningless events for entire weeks or even the whole month. Your birthday is one day. That’s it. That’s your shot to do all the celebrating you can do. 24 hours. However, when it comes to Halloween I will administer a little leeway, only because it’s a holiday known for its delicious treats. It’s particularly nice when co-workers dabble in making their own because that usually leads to sharing. And as we learned in grade school, sharing is caring. I devoured my bag and half of Jordan’s before I realized it would be a good idea to snap a photo for today’s memory.

83.) Saturday, October 13, 2012
Gatherings among friends seem to occur less and less with age, so to take advantage of those moments is key. When you can celebrate a great friend’s birthday in conjunction with football, or anything really, those are the great ones. As it would go, today was such a day, with Mo and J.S. hosting for some USC/Washington college football. Wings, cookies and snap peas were eaten, beverages were consumed, politics discussed (not by me) and then came karaoke. Parker celebrated his birthday at midnight, and while it wasn’t a grand celebration, we toasted him and most got their song on. It was a most excellent time at a place that could’ve been right out of Central New York. There’s no place like home.

82.) Friday, October 12, 2012
When I was a kid and living in Virginia, we had to drive by this NASA center on way to our Coast Guard housing every day. It was also right around the same time that the space shuttle Discovery was getting thrown into the mix as a regular interstellar aircraft. I was fascinated by this stuff. I would watch the movie “Space Camp” over and over again. I don’t think ever really wanted to be an astronaut but if  I did, it was only to feel the weightlessness of space. That feeling of flying. So when the shuttle Endeavour made her final rounds through the streets of Los Angeles, causing trees to be trimmed, power lines to be moved, roads to be shut down, like all the other idiots I went and took a look-see (though I did need some serious convincing). And I must admit, while I wasn’t into it, and it was a pretty big hassle to actually get to her, it was pretty neat seeing a space shuttle up close. Unfortunately, this was as close as we could get and it was a complete madhouse; guessing there was close to 1,000 people on the streets.

81.) Thursday, October 11, 2012
In what proved to be arguably the best day in Brockman Family history, I’ll never forget where I was for two things: first, when I got the message from my mom that my sister finally had her baby, our newest Brockman-ite, or Gray-ite, as it is; and second, where I was when I first saw myself on television, and not the podcast TV show, that doesn’t count. I was in edit 11 at work when my mom texted me about the arrival of Avery Phillip Gray. A day we all have been looking forward to for months. Alison had been over a week late and finally this week she went to the hospital to get induced and get this sucker out! What I loved, was that her and her husband chose not to know the gender of the baby. Very old school. Mom said they were hoping for a girl, but I was pulling for a boy. As I said earlier, in one instance I get to teach it cool dude stuff, the other, I have to buy a gun. But they had two names planned – apparently, she liked the girl’s name better, mom said – just in case and everyone was on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Finally, at 3:33pmET, out he came. So exciting. The fun has just began.

80.) Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Now, if you’re like me, and I’m guessing a few of you are out there, your immediate thought upon seeing the left side of his Infiniti was the same as mine: Steamin’ Willie Beamen. I know it’s spelled differently, but it’s all I could think of when I saw this car in front of me at a red light. Then I started singing the song from the movie, and thinking about all the cool Willie Beamen lines (“invisible juice”) and how much I like that movie. It’s ridiculous, over-the-top and just too much at times, but that’s what makes it great. The Jim Rome spoof character, Lawrence Taylor sawing his truck in half, Bill Bellamy’s mirror scene, Pacino’s epic locker room speech, male nudity, Jim Brown, the Shark Dance, L.L. thinking he was a real NFL runing back and on and on and on. Gotta get the word out.

79.) Tuesday, October 9, 2012
You’ve probably seen me Tweeting about the FX comedy “The League” over the last several weeks; promoting the premiere of Season 4 and whatnot. Well, that’s not by accident. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of the show since its beginning in 2009. It’s that perfect blend of football, humor and giving crap to your buddies that happens during the NFL season we all can relate to. As it turned out, thanks to Rich and creator Jeff Schaffer, I got to be on an episode this fall, and the Eisen Podcast crew hit the red carpet in Hollywood for the premiere. It was a great time, and while I’m only one for literally 2 seconds, it’s a memory I’ll always have, and of course, the pics to prove it. #ShivaBlast

78.) Monday, October 8, 2012
Despite my fantasy football loss, this was a pretty good day, especially for the 365 photo ops. I’m trying to get back into the Self Portrait Monday habit which I promised from the outset of this project. So when I rolled into work this afternoon in my newly purchased vehicle and saw Rich Eisen cross the path, immediately throw his arms up, whip out his phone and utter the phrase: “I’m Tweeting this out immediately,” I figured, ‘just go with it’ and did all I could think to do at the time: throw a thumbs up. Then, and I’m not sure how I never noticed it before, but on the main stage at NFL Network there’s this perfectly-sized shield logo (and why wouldn’t there be?). And finally, on the drive home, I happened to flip to the 80s on 8 station on XM and this Human League tune was playing. This particular song – “Don’t You Want Me” – is uniquely important to me because I had to memorize the first verse of it for the 24-hour, one act play festival I performed in a mere three weeks ago. You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met you. Guarantee you I’ll never forget this song as long as I live. Don’t you want me, baby?

77.) Sunday, October 7, 2012
You may not think this is a big deal. You look up and say, “yeah, it’s your ceiling fan in your bedroom. What’s so special about that?” Well, I’ll tell you. Some time ago, the light in said ceiling fan went out. Now, I went to Target to get a replacement bulb, however, I got a bulb with a thicker male end that would fit in the female receptacle. And then I just didn’t bother to replace it. I waited. And waited. And waited. What did I do for light, you might ask? Well, I used the desk lamp. Which got to be extremely annoying because by force of habit, I’d walk into the room and flip on the light switch, which subsequently only turned on the ceiling fan. Fan, no light. Until now. Of course, I got one of those LED energy saver light bulbs that only costs like 43 cents to use for the entire year and lasts 15 years but somehow sets me back $38 bucks. I’m going to have to make a cost-effectiveness in comparison to price chart or something to figure out if it’s worth it, but I’m guessing I’ll find out it’s not. Pretty much, I’m the light bulb version of these people who think driving a Prius actually help save the environment.

76.) Saturday, October 6, 2012
It’s almost Halloween, which is a “holiday” I’m not completely on board with. It’s for kids, in my mind. We’re adults. We should be handing out the candy not dressing up like sluts and going to parties in strange places on weeknights. However, especially living out here where every day people are playing dress up and make believe, it takes on a world of its own and that’s possibly the understatement of the year. So, to get in the spirit, Perk bought literally the biggest bag of Tootsie Rolls I’ve ever seen. I mean this thing might has well been a sack of potatoes, but instead of potatoes it was filled with various sized Tootsie Rolls. Now, I have yet to have a single one of these things. I can’t recall the last time I even had one, but since I’ve sorta been on this “no sugar” kick for the last 11 months (which I’ve fallen off and gotten back on the wagon several times with in this span) I’ve given up such sweets. I still have ice cream now and again. Sue me. I’m just a man. So he and his lady and my guests have taken this bag and made it their personal hand puppet. And this is him emptying what’s left of this gigantic-sized bag into the container on our living room table. They’ve taken it down in less than a couple weeks. It’s quite impressive.

75.) Friday, October 5, 2012
I really just thought this was hilarious. You really had to see it to appreciate it, however, I was able to capture the aftermath in all its hilarious glory. Slade and I took a walk on our lunch break to 7-11, which is across the street from our campus. He got a Red Bull and a water and something else, while I rolled with some trail mix and M&Ms. On our walk back, Slade tripped on the finely maintained LA sidewalk and while trying to catch his balance, tripped again and fell to the ground like a sack of North Dakota potatoes. Then, rather than quickly pull himself up like it never happened, Slade rolled on his back and laid there for a few seconds. It was at that point, I quickly pulled out my phone to snap a pic. When he noticed this, he started to arise. This is the result.

74.) Thursday, October 4, 2012
Since I’ve lived in California, I’ve enjoyed going to new restaurants and joints for all kinds of delicious eats. People say it all the time, but it’s true how your palate can change depending on your geography. And whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, I’m always looking forward to something new and when nothing is that appealing, going back to my reliable favorites. In fact, the name of this locale I was at today is literally, BLD. Now, I don’t know what this is. When it was brought to our table I had a pretty dumbfounded look on my face. Apparently, it’s a coffee dispenser. And you have to push down that long pole to “activate” the coffee and make it ready to drink. This is what I was told. I don’t believe any of it. Oh, and my breakfast sandwich was amazing.

73.) Wednesday, October 3, 2012
When someone says the words “frozen yogurt” to me the first thing I immediately think of is that Seinfeld episode where the new and trendy non-fat frozen yogurt joint that all New Yorkers were suddenly and inexplicably consuming, including incumbent Mayor Rudy Guiliani, caused him to have high cholesterol and potentially cost him re-election. Then, didn’t Kramer go on this secret mission to get Guiliani’s blood and the samples got all mixed up or something which led to the false-positive result and the city-wide freak out? Well, that was my first exposure and I never had ever tried it before I moved out here and was taken to Yogurtland, a magical place where, gasp!, you get to MAKE YOUR OWN cup full of this delicious treat. And don’t forget the toppings, the glorious toppings which shoot you back into Willie Wonka’s candy forrest. If you’re feeling healthy, just add fruit; want some cake, toss in some cheesecake or brownie bites, or perhaps from Fruity Pebbles or Cap’n Crunch. Top it off with some caramel or chocolate syrup, but don’t forget my favorite topping, and the most underrated of them all: graham cracker bits! And the best part, you pay by the weight. I always try to convince the cashier than if you guess the exact price it’s free. So far I’ve yet to accomplish the feat and no one has yet to say yes.

72.) Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Everyone says there’s no good pizza places in Los Angeles, which really bums me out. Not so much that people say it, because I generally think everyone’s M.O. these days is to hate on everything, but it bums me out that there’s this notion that you can’t find good pie out here. There are literally people from every walk of life in this TMZ and you’re telling me not one has a great pizza recipe that they’ve turned into a restaurant? I happen to think there’s a pretty good spot down by Sony and the NFL in Culver City, but on this night I just had to have it. So, I walked up to The Grove and into the Farmer’s Market – where I avoided making eye contact with Paris Hilton and thus saving myself from acquiring her Medusa-like herpes – and dined on some delicious pepperoni pizza pie.

71.) Monday, October 1, 2012
Yes, I work at a television network. And yes, we have former players in as analysts from time to time. And yes, we have a host who is quite smaller than all of them. But for some reason, this made me crack up to the holy heavens when it came on. I really had no idea what was happening. I mean, look at Andrew (white guy, left) compared to Josiah (who played college basketball and works here, Donovan McNabb (former Eagles great) and Darren Sharper (Super Bowl winner with the Saints). I sent out a blast email around work with a “caption contest” and Bobby was the big winner with his response of: “Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to Bachelor number one … (The Dating Game has never looked better …)”

70.) Sunday, September 30, 2012
This is both hilarious and embarrassing. My driver’s license is a disaster. I know that. I was much, much heavier several years ago when this photo was taken. I like to say that I look like a young Larry Flynt, who is pretty much the closest thing we have to a real-life Jabba The Hut. I certainly would never post this unless it was absolutely necessary. Such, I had to send a copy of this to someone to secure something (#Vague) and when I went back to write this post, I realized this was my only picture from Sunday. What can I say, they’re hectic during football season. So, here it is. Bad signature, three chins, and yes, my hair was once upon a time blond. Maine: the way life should be.

69.) Saturday, September 29, 2012
When you roll to people’s birthday parties, to borrow the tired phrase from Forrest Gump: you never know what you’re gonna get. Literal hit or miss. And that’s just what the scenario was tonight as I rolled up with Parker up to our friend Matt’s place in Hollywood for his apartment bash. From the get-go, though, it was clear this wouldn’t be a “miss.” Great food (seriously, the buffalo chicken dip was amazing; later found out his girlfriend is a “dip specialist.” Who knew?) Great vibe. Fun people. Right mix. And then there was this. Chrissy and I not realizing we essentially wore the exact same outfit. Of course, that’s not her hat or my necklace but did it matter? Nope.

68.) Friday, September 28, 2012
If it’s Friday night then it was time for Friday Night Lights, South Bay style. Or wherever we were. Harbor City, to be exact, home of the Narbonne High Gauchos, our new favorite football team. Last week we went on the road, this week: a home game. Maloney and I recruited Ted to join us and he wasn’t disappointed. Narbonne vs. Mater Dei. The latter, an area powerhouse whose list of alumni includes a couple Heisman Trophy winners and current USC quarterback Matt Barkley, as well as numerous NBA and MLB players, among others. Narbonne looked great early, building a 12-3 lead behind a 98-yard punt return for a TD and then a 60-yard, catch-and-run for a score. Mater Dei used a couple of big strikes of their own to go up 17-12 in the 3rd but Narbonne drove late and punched one in to win, 18-17. The Gauchos then stopped ‘em on 4th down to remain undefeated. Oh, and we found our friend from last week. We told her we’d be back for the playoffs.

67.) Thursday, September 27, 2012
This is Jane. She works with us and you wouldn’t believe the coaxing it took to get this pic. See, it’s been unseasonably warm this month in Southern California so a few of us were enjoying some of the hot sun on our lunch break. Our edit rooms are iceboxes, so you have to take the warmth when you get it. Jane was showing her pipes off so I kept goading her to give us a flex. “Sun’s out, guns out.” Hochuli-style. She was concerned they wouldn’t look good or something. Typical girl stuff. I was impressed.

66.) Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Horoscopes are amusing to me. In a way, they’re like issues of Cosmopolitan magazine; no doubt if you dial back 4-5 years, you’ll find basically the same thing written. But, if you want, you could find a way to make whatever’s said relate to what’s going on in your life. It’s what draws people in and keeps them coming back. Like fortune cookies, except they’re printed next to the comic page and Dear Abby, horoscopes are what you want them to be. I started following the Leo Twitter page shortly after my birthday this year and while it doesn’t tweet that often, this one from today I found pretty interesting.

65.) Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Sometimes there are moments too priceless to let slip by and not share with the world. I golfed today and shot a bunch of video and even slapped together a fun little piece you can check out on the main page, but I got a couple good pics, too, that I had planned to use for today’s entry. However, when I was heading into the movie theater at The Grove tonight I couldn’t help but notice this little girl on her (I’m presuming) father’s shoulders and laugh; pretty hard. We’ve all been there. Surely, this was me hundreds of time when I was a young blond-haired, sweatpant-wearing, rabble-rousing grasshopper on big Bo’s shoulders bebopping around Erie, Pa. and Ketchikan, Ak. It was adorable and real and raw and it made me think back to what I imagined my days as a pre-K youth, since there’s no way I remember anything before my 5-year old birthday party.

64.) Monday, September 24, 2012
Ok, I admit, I blanked on a self portrait. My goal to have 52 Monday shots is already three behind. I’ll pick it up. Meanwhile, take a look at the homeless person known as Maurice Jones-Drew, who is currently second in the NFL in rushing yards and killing it for the Colt .45 Hollywood Bandits, talking with Rich on the latest Eisen Podcast. I believe MJD is currently mid-story about how and why he looks like the guy on Venice Blvd who asks me for change every morning. Antarctica might have been mentioned and bears and them teaching him grooming. Whatever, as long as he keeps running that rock and throwing dice in the end zone.

63. Sunday, September 23, 2012
The hardest parking signs, I think, in the country to understand are in New York City. The rules make as little sense as some of these NFL replacement ref calls. No loading. No stopping. Taxi only. Street cleaning. School zone from 9-3. No parking on Sundays. Construction zone. This side only on even days that begin with “T” and on and on and on it goes. Here in Los Angeles, it’s not quite that complicated but there is some above-average problem solving that goes on when determining where you can and cannot park your mode of transportation. The best thing they do out here is paint the curb red where you absolutely, 100% CANNOT leave your sled. But we still have district exemptions and cleaning and all that garbage. But yeah, I thought of this as Perk parked in front of the sign tonight after picking me up from work. Cool shot, right?

62. Saturday. September 22, 2012
This is my buddy, Cooper. He’s pretty much the most gangster 18-month old I know, which is to say he’s basically the only 18-month old I know. Cooper is sitting here trying to enjoy his homemade pasta and red sauce, with a splash of meat thrown in for good measure – never too early to protein up. GTL, kid! However, I’d say about 87% of this delicious dinner treat ended up on his race car shirt and golden locks but that did not deter Cooper’s mood or his taste for his own fingers. In fact, it only enhanced them. Oh, almost forgot, he thought it was a good idea to shampoo his hair with red sauce and fling a spoonful at the Nanny. It was a direct hit.

61.) Friday, September 21, 2012
Arguably my favorite TV show of the last decade is “Friday Night Lights.” I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen that the Pilot is the greatest single episode in television history. Go ahead, re-watch it. It’s amazing. The look on Saracen’s face when Coach tells him, “quarterback’s a captain,” is breathtaking. You can feel Saracen’s fear but at the same time, deep down, he believes in himself even if no one else does or has any reason to. Tonight, Alex and I went to watch a local high school game in Gardena. Two of SoCal’s s top teams were battling. The game also featured two future Division I quarterbacks and loads of college talent on the field. We weren’t disappointed in the action, as Narbonne scored a victory over home Gardena Serra. We made friends with the wife of the running backs coach, who talked us into going to next week’s game, and even sat next to some kook who wouldn’t stop playing his vuvuzela. Oh, and Seahawks WR Golden Tate even wrote back to me after I mentioned him on Twitter in reference to us devouring some pre-game Wendy’s. Clear yes, full hearts, can’t lose.

60.) Thursday, September 20, 2012
When did the word “Vintage” get to be so chic? When did everything that’s old start becoming new and hip? I’m serious. Was this something created by retail stores like American Eagle or Abercrombie & Fitch? or teenage girls? I can’t really place my finger on when new things started to be designed to look old, but I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Why not just go antiquing? My mom likes to do that. Even I like to admire things which have aged gracefully and might make a nice addition to my living space. Even this piece – the word VINTAGE written in chalk on a blackboard – which was outside such a store on Fairfax Ave., I would think someone might buy as-is and display as some kind of art. So hip.

59.) Wednesday, September 19, 2012
This could be any street corner in America, really, when you think about it. Corner business, secondary road leads to something bigger. And here, are just two adolescents experiencing one of the purely spectacular joys in life: kissing. I know it’s hard to see, since I spotted them out of the corner of my eye as Perk and I sped past, but you can make out a dash of red – that’s the girl – and then a row of white – that’s the dude’s skateboard he HELD as it all took place. The corner of Vine and Elanor. These two were just standing on the corner sucking face like it was April 1912. Rose and Jack style. End of days. Take yourself back there for a second. Close your eyes and remember what it was like. You didn’t how care how you were getting it or who saw. You just had to be with that person. It was the only thing that mattered. You could’ve been in the hallway at school, the football bleachers, your parents couch or in the dressing room at Aeropostale. Made you smile just now, didn’t it? Shoot. I was jealous when I saw them. Not a care in the world. Seriously, dude held his skateboard the entire time.

58.) Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Because of Stugotts’ unfortunate and untimely near-death experience, I’ve been rendered vehicleless for the time being. That required me to basically walk the Earth like Caine in “Kung Fu” today. I went from work, to the DMV, back past work and up to a couple of bike shops, then way down to Target before cycling home with my new two-wheeled purchase. However, before that point, I passed this phrase of wisdom on the sidewalk. It’s something I’ve noticed in bigger cities I’ve visited (OK, maybe just New York and LA), where messages such as this pop up either on the sides of buildings, bus stops, sidewalks or wherever. I like them. I happen to like them a lot. In fact, at first I walked right past this particular one before stopping, retracing my steps, taking it all in, and then moving on. After carefully avoiding trekking over top. Some messages need heeding more than others. This one seemed worthy.

57.) Monday, September 17, 2012
I know there’ s a legion of Brockman 365 fans out there clamoring for more images of yours truly, but hopefully you got your fix with Saturday’s entry. I promise another video, too. However, this shot was too good not to share with the masses. I’ve always loved M&Ms, the candy that melts in your mouth, not in your hand. Seriously, how good are they? At the movies, even the ballgame; almost the perfect candy. I can’t even remember the last time I had them, but I was wicked dragging this afternoon and need something to get me through the night. Football can only take me so far. As I was sucked them down, I was trying to remember what color I liked the most as a kid. I think they were the greens. I vaguely remember a commercial back in the day, maybe from the ’80s, who knows, and it assigned bases to each color. Baseball. And greens were the home runs. And, of course, we all want to hit home runs. Every time I swing a softball bat I’m trying to hit a home run. And I always save the green M&Ms for last.

56.) Sunday, September 16, 2012
The biggest #Duh sentence I may ever utter is this: we are surrounded by football here at NFL Network. Such, I said it last week and I’ll say it again: there’s nothing like Sundays in the edit bay. Your senses are at another level, you’re a little more focused on what’s going on; you’re kinda like a pigskin wearing Spiderman, minus the snaggle-toothed neighbor. I know I get asked all the time by my buddies and others what exactly I do on Sundays; so here’s my setup. Laptop with the shotsheet I’m writing as the game goes along, stats/log of the game open, Twitter for the chatter, editor compiling all the plays in a timeline and we’re up against the clock.

55.) Saturday, September 15, 2012
Well today was something. Extremes happen in life all the time, highs and lows. The key is managing them; don’t get too caught up in the good, don’t get too discouraged by the bad. Things happen. Do your best to deal with them as best you can and move on in the best way for you. So, today was the annual Above the Curve 24-your play festival. I don’t pretend to be any kind of an actor but I’ve done it the last two years, had some success with it, and generally just had a good time. People enjoyed my “work” so it was something I looked forward to. Jessica Shelby allows me to particpate and so I’m grateful for that. That’s the high. We had a really funny script, my partner was hilarious and we killed it. That’s the high. The low saddens me. Stugotts, my ’99 Chevy Tahoe named after Tony’s boat in the “The Sopranos,” is most likely no longer with us. It’s my own fault for not making the necessary repairs when they were needed, but at the same time, I didn’t want to put any more money into her. A new mode of transportation, I knew, was on the horizon. That time is now. We had a great run. Seven years, roughly 116,000 miles together, including a 3,400-mile, cross-country trip, and roadies to Buffalo, New York City and Atlantic City several times over, Richmond and Alexandria, Virginia, Baltimore, not enough jaunts to Boston, Bangor, Me., and everywhere else in between. I’m thinking I’ll write a more thorough column when she’s finally laid to rest but today was the proverbial straw.

54.) Friday, September 14, 2012
It’s not often that I get a double dosage of Perkins on a given night; not since our days hanging at 59 Maple St. in the 207 and I’d bug Shari for some cookies or leftover dinner. But that’s just what I got this weekend when Shannon cashed in some miles and made the 1,000-mile pilgrimage south to Los Angeles. The last time he was in town, we all hit the Syracuse/USC football game (not-so surprisingly, we lost). This time around, we hit up Rush St. for some dinner and Shannon got mistaken as Kid Rock. OK, not really, but his hair is out of control. If there’s one thing Little Perk is blessed with over me and the Daddy it’s in the follicle department. True story: I once gave him a mohawk in my mom’s kitchen. Now he looks like Joe  Dirt. Still sexy.

53.) Thursday, September 13, 2012
Parking on my street is a nightmare. I don’t know if spatial recognition isn’t taught in driving school, but the next time someone pulls all the way up or backs all the way in on my street will be the first time. I seriously want to key cars sometimes. In fact, that’ll end up being a picture of the day, not me keying someone but the assclownery that is my neighbors parking abilities. Such, when I come home from working late there’s never any spots in front of my place so I have to park on the next street over some nights. That requires me to talk through the alley behind several businesses. There’s a Chinese restaurant, a shoe repair shop and this meat place. I haven’t been in it yet, but I always walk past and just shake my head. Harvey’s Guss Meat Co. Does it get much better than that? There’s a larger mural on the side of the building that is much cooler, but the lighting here was too good to ignore. Eat up.

52.) Wednesday, September 12, 2012
There’s a running joke among a few of my college buddies involving teachers who  get “involved” with their students. Now, I know it’s not a laughing matter. It really isn’t. However, whenever a new case pops up, and it’s always a female engaging with a male student because that’s somehow more acceptable (#sarcasm), we send out emails with the subject line “new candidate for Teacher of the Year.” Well, another such message popped up in my inbox and Dick and I had this exchange about a recent  New Jersey teacher of the year, who was canoodling with a 15-year old.

51.) Tuesday, September 11, 2012
We all remember where we were on this date 11 years ago. It haunts so many of us. I’ve told my story countless times. I was a college senior at Syracuse, woken up with the news by Howard Stern, thinking it was another of his crude bits. My first class of the day met. We didn’t know the extent of the terror then. Of course, classes were canceled and as a University we gathered later that afternoon for an assembly in Hendricks Chapel. Ribbons were passed out. I’m not a ribbon guy at all. I find them bordering on soulless. But this one stuck with me. In fact, 11 years after I first attached it to my L.L. Bean backback, it’s still there. Unphased by time and the elements: rain, snow, cold, wind, heat, airports. She’s still there. Held together by a simple straight pin. Honestly, I have no idea how it’s stayed together. Then again, I know exactly how and why. God Bless.

50.) Monday, September 10, 2012
It’s self-portrait Monday here at The Brockman 365 Project but this felt appropriate. It’s my visitor’s badge from the hospital. My good friend, Justine Brown, was in a terrible car accident along with her sister over the weekend. Thankfully, they are well and out of ICU. It’ll take some time, but they’ll make a full recovery. Someone was looking out for them, without a doubt. If you have a minute, head over to her twitter page and drop her a note. Tell her you know me. She’s one of a kind.

49.) Sunday, September 9, 2012
This is a cutsheet. My life boils down to lots of these Sundays in the edit bay, it’s quite a feat. After we produce and edit the highlite, so sweet, we jot down the times for the directors of the show, take a seat. As you can see, I was in charge of the Steelers game, they got beat. Peyton Manning returned to action and dazzled, it was pretty neat. The NFL wasn’t the same without him last year, the Colts were dead meat. Now everyone thinks he’s back and will lead the Broncos to the playoffs, they’ll compete. I’ll believe it when I see it, bring the heat.

48.) Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Perk Daddy is days away from his Larry Bird Birthday, so when he suggested a night out, I was all in like #33 from top of the key. And it didn’t disappoint when his visual arts school boys came out as well. Lots of laughs were had, drinks were drunk, trash was talked (we’re all in a fantasy football league together) body parts were moved around in awkward white-boy dancing. Of course, Max’s quick quips were part of the entertainment. Like when he thought it was a good idea to bust out some techno moves and used Perk as a prop. Nothing but net.

47.) Friday, September 7, 2012
This is the video game generation, make no mistake about it. Everything we do involves our electronics and sitting in front of our TVs or computers wasting hours upon hours. When it comes to the top of the litter, there’s only one game you need to know the name of: Madden. We’ve all owned it. We’ve all tried to dominate it. We all have our teams. We all have our go-to plays. Me? I like to air it out. Always have, always will. So when an NFL Madden ’13 tournament was suggested at work, I was all over it, as were most. I knew I’d struggle, having not played in years, but it was still nice to log on and attempt to drop some bombs with Tom Brady and his new favorite target, Brandon Lloyd. We connected once but dropped a heartbreaker. If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.

46.) Thursday, September 6, 2012
There are few foods I like more in this world than those coming from the sea. So when Parker dialed up a fantasy football bet on our matchup last season and suggested the loser treats the winner to some Reel Inn down in Malibu, I jumped faster than one of those Great White’s leaping out of the ocean for the fake seal during Shark Week. Needless to say, I lost our Week 1 battle in 2011 and then again in Week 16; the Championship Game. But we were both winners as we dined on Mahi Mahi and Catfish (cajun style) by the ocean. Hopefully, though, this time next year he’s buying.

45.) Wednesday, September 5, 2012
People watching is one of my favorite things on Earth to do. If it was an Olympic sport, I’d be the Michael Phelps. I’d take gold in every conceivable event. I’m also really good at sniping pictures of things. Combine the two, and look the eff out. So when this guy walked in Baja Fresh tonight, I knew something special was happening. I mean, just look at what he’s wearing. Jim Rome likes to say, “personal appearance is not show fodder,” but come on, Jim. He had me a the mullet and mustache, but throw in that Angelina Jolie slit up the side of his lavender/pinkish shirt and great googly moogly we have a Hall of Famer on our hands. Combined with the fact that he paid for his Baja Burrito with a coupon and I was rendered speechless. Kudos to you, sir. And keep doing you.

44.) Tuesday, September 4, 2012
You can’t have a Kickoff Special without a true legend in the booth. That’s why you dial up Jim Brockmire when you want the truth. Checkered jacket and carnation on the lapel, bring up kickers and he’s bound to give you hell. He loves the Packers, Tebow and drinking scotch, can’t have another meltdown, not on our watch. He’s as unpredictable as he is with the quick wit, I wouldn’t want to start my season with anyone but him talking NFL, I’ll admit.

43. Monday, September 3, 2012
Labor Day Weekend, a time to reflect. Labor Day Weekend, a time for respect. Labor Day Weekend, fire up the grill. Labor Day Weekend, don’t forget the pickles, I like dill. Labor Day Weekend, everyone’s ready for back to school. Labor Day Weekend, no more laying by the pool. Labor Day Weekend, pennant races are heating up. Labor Day Weekend, but not for the Red Sox, they’re all shmucks. Labor Day Weekend, the end of summer fun. Labor Day Weekend, football season has officially begun.

42. Sunday, September 2, 2012
The New York Post is the best. Seriously. Its desk has some of the wittiest headline writers in the business. Whenever I visit New York City, I always make sure to pick up a few copies of the Post just to see what the back page’s headline is. And since the Rex Ryan/Mike Tannenbaum Jets have taken over it’s been even more interesting, especially since the acquisation of Tim Tebow, the Post has been off the charts. Who will ever forget Tebow running shirtless in the rain. It was really the only scoring they’ve done all preseason. Which brings me to this latest back page. Poor, poor Sanchez. Can’t score on the field, but clearly has no problems scoring off it. Here the Post caught him out on a date with Eva Longoria. Sucks to be him.

41.) Saturday, September 1, 2012
There’s a surly goat.
He’s watching people drink, dance.
Overseeing life.

.

40.) Friday, August 31, 2012
Boston is a long way from Los Angeles; roughly 3,043 miles, give or take. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a slew of locales where you can dine, consume beverages and get a full-on Masshole experience. Perk and I found one not too far from the new Trojan Manor. Littered with Boston sports signs, college pennants, New England license plates and a TV playing a ’60s James Caan movie, “Little Bar” had everything you’d want in a potential future hangout. They even had dartboards, where we put on a show worthy of an ESPN Classic special. Yup, where everyone knows your name.

39.) Thursday, August 30, 2012
The NFL season is six days away. Six. Like one more than five and one less than my still school record seven 3-pointers made in a single game at Thornton Academy. So yeah, it’s been nearly seven months since Rob Gronkowski narrowly missed catching Tom Brady’s hail mary in the closing seconds of the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLVI loss to the Giants. Since his shirtless afterparty dance show, the record-setting man child of a tight end has had a summer to make George Costanza proud. Since he’s been in camp, however, it’s been all football. Good news for the Patriots and fantasy football owners, who are counting on Gronk to match his Madden-esque 2011, potentially bad news for opposing linebackers and footballs across the country. Spike.

38.) Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Say what you want about the Olympics; it’s hard not to eventually get sucked in. That was me prior to this year’s Summer Games in London. Originally, I had very little interest. Outside of Usain Bolt and the U.S. Men’s Basketball team, I was largely going to give them a pass. Then I watched archery. Boom. All in. Of course, I was fascinated by the swimming events and our men’s superstars Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, who did not disappoint for storylines and drama. Lochte won two golds overseas and was kind enough to bring them to the Rich Eisen Podcast during his appearance on our kickoff special (airing Sept. 6 at 10pmET on NFL Network). Figuring this is as close as I’ll ever get to Olympic hardware I decided to give it a Brockman Closeup. She sure is pretty.

37.) Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I touched on this the other day, but the 2012 Red Sox have been an unmitigated disaster. Hiring Bobby Valentine was only the beginning, but add injuries and poor play, this season couldn’t get over faster. Last week’s big trade was the feather in the cap of another lost season, the worst since ’97. But I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see my boys play when they were out west, at the Halos, SoCal heaven. Beautiful night, good company and a double rainbow set the stage. Then Clay’s 2nd pitch was put out for a homer by Mike Trout, perhaps you’ve heard of him, he’s all the rage. There weren’t many of us wearing navy down at the Big A, but the Sox gave us fans cause for cheer. Late-inning leads have this season have been rare but we were ahead, I swear. Pujols then went yard, and I could feel the tide changing. Out came our closer and glances with strangers I was exchanging. I knew what was coming and they did, too. Trout blooped a single to tie the game and Hunter won it sac fly to center. Another loss, more of the same.

36.) Monday, August 27, 2012
Some days are meant for vegging out. There’s a higher plan in place and it doesn’t care if you had a To Do List or things you wanted to get accomplished. You’re going to sleep late and eat breakfast no matter the time. Then, you’re going to want to start taking care of business but you just can’t get moving. So you lay back down, put some background noise TV on, doze in and out of consciousness like a bad thriller movie. It’s like Dog Days of Summer-itis has taken over your soul. It’s not your fault and at the end of the day, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. Just accept it and do better the next day. Do better the next day.

35.) Sunday, August 26, 2012
Fantasy Football Drafts was a weekend theme and I had two more today I had to scheme. California Oranges is the name of the league, a ton of Syracuse peeps just living the dream. I had the 10th pick out of 10, which kinda sucked except that I took first Drew Brees. From there, one-by-one we built our teams but not without some obstacles in between. Henderson thought everyone should take shots for saying words banned, he deemed. Among them, “f–k, reach and sleeper, which made sense, it seemed. By the end, everyone was pretty toasted, sailing down a drunken stream. We ate, laughed, watched the Jets to the extreme. It was a good day, indeed.

34.) Saturday, August 25, 2012
Today was the 11th ROFFL Draft and instead of post a picture of what I was looking at all day – mainly my computer screen, a spreadsheet, projection sites, news updates and 5 separate PPR lists – thought I’d come at ya with the post-draft festivities. Well, that’s Perk’s drink (#Duh) but we are bellied up watching some preseason football and enjoying tasty burgers. He listened to be moan and groan for most of the 9+ hour draft (seriously) and this was our reward. All in all, my team will be competitive so long as some guys get their asses back in camp. Perhaps I should change my team name to the Colt .45 Holdout Bandits. Kinda makes more sense.

33.) Friday, August 24, 2012
So, we have this Red Sox gnome my dad got me for Christmas a couple years ago, and it sits in the box overlooking our living room, which, I might add, has a red rug. That’s not exactly a coincidence. My roommate is also from New England; we’re a die-hard Red Sox house. I’ve watched roughly 60% of the games this season. I’m in tune with what’s going on with the team. It’s a mitigated disaster. It’s been a disaster since they named Bobby V manager. It’s easy to say, “I knew this was going to happen,” but, I knew this was going to happen. Sometimes you just have a feeling. Back in 2007, I had the thought to write a daily blog about the season (like that Stephen King book in ’04), thinking something special was going to happen. I didn’t but now regret it more than just about anything, since, ya know, Boston went on to win the World Series that year. The whole point of this is, tonight it was announced the Sox are nearing a trade with the Dodgers for Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto. Now, nothing against Punto, but those other guys, something had to be done. I hate to sound like one of those guys, but if you’ve followed this team at all in the last 3 (non-playoff) years it was clear something wasn’t right. Chemistry. Makeup. On. And on. It was clear Gonzalez wasn’t going to live up to his billing. Crawford, the jury was still out since he spent nearly all his two years injured. Beckett, he wrote his ticket out of town at the end of last year. Sigh. There’s always next year, and thank goodness for that.

32. Thursday, August 23, 2012
Perhaps you’re wondering the same thing I thought when I first noticed the bald, white-crew-sock wearing guy sitting next to me alone fiddling with a child’s toy: is that a Rubik’s Cube?? At the bar?! Such a strange item to bring with you what should be a social location. Silly, even. Unless you’re a magician and you’re on one of those “pick-up-chicks” reality shows and that’s your bit; doing weird stuff to get them to talk to you. Then sure, bring a Rubik’s Cube to a bar and sit there spinning it on the table in between sips of your 3-dollar pint, by all means. And when you’re done spinning it, Mr. DJ of Strange, mix the cube all back up so it’s not perfectly solved and then proceed to solve it in 8 moves. Trust, we’re all very impressed. And creeped out. Say, while you’re at it, ask the fake-breasted, blonde bartender, “what beer do I feel like drinking?” and smile like a serial killer. They like that. I’ll just stay sitting next to you cursing at the Red Sox losing another one in dramatic and gut-wrenching fashion. Don’t mind me.

31.) Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The countdown began after Drew Brees threw his final TD pass in Week 16. The ROFFL title escaped me for another year but that didn’t stop the scope of my dream. Coming close, finishing just short of immortality for my team was gut-wrenching but only made me work harder on my scheme. A long offseason thinking about keepers and sleepers and who’s going to be supreme. Now our draft is only days away and there’s always a theme. This time around it’s confusion and depth but there’s always picks that make you want to scream. So I figured why not do some research, might help when I’m tearing at the seams, trying to determine who’s the best fit for the Bandits, I’d deem. Because it’s all about the trophy. The glory. Being under the spotlight’s beam.

30.) Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Just about anyone who lives in Los Angeles has done the drive home from Las Vegas. It sucks. There’s not other way to put it. It would be brutal even if you drove back in a caravan of golden trucks, that catered to your every need, had a hot tub, an ice cream bar and a chauffeur wearing a tux. There are a few things that make the trip somewhat able to bear: and endless run of In ‘N’ Outs, enough mountain scenery for all to appreciate its glacial roots and, of course, the greatest road name in mankind, I swear. Zzyzx Rd sounds made up, and it probably is. I couldn’t pronounce it if I had a month to practice or if you gave me a pop quiz. Everyone laughs and it’s easy to see why. Pretty sure if I lived there, I’d wake up each day and cry.

29.) Monday, August 20, 2012
Hot tables, cold tables. Epic runs and streaks of ice. Whether your game is cards or little red dice. Sometimes you’re hitting and others you’ve failed. You ride till she bucks ya and the ship has sailed. Hopefully you’re out before grim reaper calls or you’ll end up crying alone in the bathroom stalls. The games are fickle but when they’re going your way, all great. Then you can have a better dinner than food court ziti and a chocolate milkshake.

28.) Sunday, August 19, 2012
Good friends make any trip better. Pull out the hide-a-bed, cram the room, you can’t go wrong with a weekend Vegas venture, I presume. Stuffing your face at the buffet or sitting by the pool, with your crew don’t have to worry about acting cool. Prop your feet up or rub Buddha’s belly for luck, hopefully by the end your run the casino’s backing up the Brinks truck. Check out a show or just walk the strip, the Vegas heat from both make the forehead drip. No need to worry, no need to pout, just make sure you’re on your way home before it’s time to check out. That traffic home is a pretty huge pain, almost enough to make you never want to come back again. But alas you will, since it’s a quick LA drive. Another weekend behind you, it’s a wonder you ever made it out alive.

27.) Saturday, August 18, 2012
Vegas. Just saying the word evokes emotions that range the spectrum. Excitement. Anticipation. Nervousness. Anxiousness. The blood flows and the sweat glands work a little overtime. Whether you’re here for one day or a few, there’s nothing like it. The bright lights. The heat. The people. Chips. Ringing from slot machines. Excess. It’s all here. Can’t wait.

26.) Friday, August 17, 2012
The man, the myth, the legend. The Great One. The Perk Daddy has been by my side since all this truly begun. From TA to the Cuse, Saco to SoCal, he’s been a friend like no other; a legitimate close pal. Sure, he looks kinda Russian, even now with the neck beard you might say Andrew Luck. But we’ve always been there for each other, come sunshine or muck.

25.) Thursday, August 16, 2012
Of all the things from my youth what I’ll always remember is how my dad used to make pancakes every Sunday morning. It was a tradition in the Brockman household and while it was expected, it always came without warning. The heat from the griddle and the smell of bacon and syrup filled up the kitchen space. My brother and sister would try and beat me to the table, forks in hand, but it was never a close race. The pancake tradition has calmed as of late but there’s nothing like a spontaneous flapjack run to fill the plate. IHOP, Hugo’s or even from scratch, and when I say “scratch” I mean out of a Bisquick box is how I make my batch. Chocolate chip or plain ole’ buttermilk, lather those babies up and add the maple goodness in strands like silk. Pile them high or complete your breakfast with a short stack, you’ll never be the same with one bite off this rack. I’m on a quest to find the most scrumptious cakes in town. Today was The OP Cafe and it didn’t let me down. Dad would be proud.

24.) Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Night shifts at any job are usually enhanced by a solid dinner choice. (How many stake-out movies have you seen where the guys sat in the van starving? Exactly.) When you work as a team, often the first question upon arrival is, “what we got?” The second is usually, “what we doing for dinner?” Tonight was no different. Freddy, said he’s got a normal spot and for some reason some tangerine chicken and fried rice sounded tastier than my customary PBJ and pretzels. Of course, that didn’t stop me from eating my usual and then a few hours later inhaling a non-biodegradable container full of glazed presumed chicken meat. Delicious.

23.) Tuesday, August 14, 2012
It’s pretty well known I only drink water when I’m out. I don’t make a big deal of it and neither does anyone else. However, on this night, the bartender at Dillons decided to flex her clever muscles and say they were out of H2O. Not to be out-witted, I replied, I’d like some air. “Out of that, too.” So then I said I wanted instead of ice, lemons in my water. Just a whole bunch of lemons. Now, I don’t love lemons in my water. Love lemonade and Arnold Palmers. But as a supplement to my water, it’s just OK. On occasion, I’ll have them and I know they’re good for you; helps clean out the system, which I’m all for (the new and improved Brockman). But she took my sarcasm, which was a response to her sarcasm, and ran with it like Usain Bolt on the final leg of the 4x100m relay. If you’re scoring at home – and I know you are – she won the fight by TKO. Like the Devil, I know when I’ve been beat.

22.) Monday, August 13, 2012

The start of Week 4.
Could it be any hotter?
At least it’s Shark Week.
.

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21.) Sunday, August 12, 2012
Only 13 other people will get this, but today is the best day of the sports year. The Retired Orangemen Fantasy Football League Draft Book arrived in the mail and I think I shed a tear. From now until the NFL season wraps up, this league and this book are the only things I hold dear. Rushes, receptions and touchdowns we cheer. Forget our favorite teams, it’s the players who carry our fate, it’s clear. Still bitter from my Oh-11 second place finish, I sneer. Drew Brees is my mortal enemy, don’t let him get near. We have Nomads and Bandits, Crabs and Tools, even Aligators to fear. There are columns and podcasts on a website, and goofy pictures from our AC and Vegas nights; blame the beer. We fight for one thing: glory and the respect of our peers. Actually, the Gregg Moore Trophy is our true obsession and to hold it at season’s end, makes your career.

20.) Saturday, August 11, 2012
There’s a constant debate, who’s got the best patty in town. Fat Burger, In N Out, Umami; they all seek the crown. I’m kind of a beef maven, so there’s one place I go when I’m seriously craving: Father’s Office is the best joint for my cash. Can’t tell you why but if you name it, I’m there POOF! like the Flash. Here’s the deal though, the order comes only one way. They’re strict like that: no alterations, even ketchup if that’s how you sway. But trust in the product and the results are in the pudding. Finish one in no time and a second you’ll be looking. Drink, conversate, stay as long as you like; just beware of the hipsters with their hair in a spike. Clean your plate bare and then bounce the f–k out, cuz there’s probably some peeps standing, waiting to take your seat, no doubt.

19.) Friday, August 10, 2012
Back when I was eight years young I spent a lot of time at the roller rink. It seemed all my friends would have their birthday parties there, a big stink. We’d skate the circle, do the dances, eat cake and suck down soft drinks. I remember being pretty good, smooth on the wheels, fearless and in sync. My return was made after a great time away, pretty sure I’d really stink. It wasn’t quite riding a bike but it started to come back to me like the missing link. Round and round I went, easy does it, right close to the brink. Only took one big spill, dance move went wrong, feet came out under me; happened all in a wink. Should definitely go back soon. Gotta be easier the next time, I think.

18.) Thursday, August 9, 2012
Movies. Cinema. Film. It’s why so many live here in LA. What starts as an idea gets put to paper and then on screen; the project is the artist’s clay. Step inside the magical realm of make belief, anything’s possible once you press PLAY. Movies are like a child who walks outside into the fray. Looking around, taking a mental survey, who then starts to walk and talk and figure out their way before making a mark that’ll last each and every day. Cinema touches the soul deep, and emotions sway. It stares you in the eyes and forces you to break away. To find the good, the bad, the bright and grey. My love of this art form I’ll never betray.

17.) Wednesday, August 8, 2012
I’m not a runner. I’ve never really understood the running culture. That high everyone talks about that comes from mile-after-mile, I get elsewhere competitively. Basketball. Softball. Golf. But I have gone on two neighborhood jogs in the last 4 days, so maybe running will grow on me. What I do get, though, is observation. I’m very observant. So when I was trampling down 8th St. on this sweaty summer afternoon, faded camo Red Sox hat absorbing perspiration, and saw something up ahead, I had to stop. Sure, I probably wanted to stop because I was tired, but it’s also not often you see your initials etched in the pavement, either. “CB”. Who knows how long they’ve been there. Months. Years. Was it done by a worker, a child who noticed the wet cement or a passerby? Was it their finger that scribbled or a stick or flower stem? Why that corner? Who is “CB”? Man or woman? Righty or lefty? Do they like baseball? I want to but will never know. And on I ran.

16.) Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Visiting our old spot made me think of our new one. A quiet street with a good view of the end sun. Helicopters fly overhead day and night, where we can’t even feel an earthquake of might. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never complain about that, it’s just in three years I’ve yet to see the vibrating floor mat. Our neighbor across the way is a first class chatter box, he’s nice enough but sometimes I wanna tell him to kick rocks. There’s a chinese food joint within a 9-irons flop, and next to it a little mom and dad shoe repair shop. Of course there’s Carls, Papa Johns and even Starbucks, but you’ll never catch me there, unless @BrockmanMary shows up. She’s gotta have her morning Joe, and I get it, she needs some fuel for her day or throw a fit. The gym you can walk to, which is def a big perk. If I didn’t work out I’d surely go beserk. But mostly BP and I just chill, watching our big screen and keeping it ill.

15.) Monday, August 6, 2012
Has it been three years already? On this day I arrived in LA, it was two thousand and nine. Has it been three years already? Perk lived a stone’s throw from the Hollywood sign. Has it been three years already? I can still hear the Northeast wind sweep through the chimes. Has it been three years already? The question, I think about all the time. Has it been three years already? Life has since been on the incline. Has it been three years already? On peanut butter and jelly I still dine. Has it been three years already? “This Ain’t Maine, Son” is a favorite punch line. Has it been three years already? I finally feel fine. Has it been three years already? The days melt by when you’re on your grind. Has it been three years already? Look at me then and now, it’s all I need to remind. Has it been three years already? Sure has, and the future is mine.

14.) Sunday, August 5, 2012
In 2003, Fall had come to Maine, but things in my life were pretty much the same. My bank account was very quite lame and my sport jobs hopes were one big con game. Begrudgingly, I put aside fame and took a job working overnight at Target, thus inducing self shame. While I stocked shelves and the forklift I did tame, I secretly hoped no one would learn my name. It wasn’t until Spring when fate logged on to its domain and selected me as her next flame. My time wearing red and khaki were over and my destiny I reclaimed, accepting this was just another chapter in the book of me, I slain. So whenever I walk through those doors on its terrain, I think back to those days and how I struggled to maintain, the drive to fight for a better way to sustain, my sense of self worth on these wide open plains. Because life really is just one giant fast lane, or is it more like a speeding train, where folks named Elaine and Shane sip champagne and wonder to themselves just is it insane to visit Fort Wayne or eat more than one candy cane? Hell, I could do this all day, I use my left brain. We all try and fail and it sprains, strains and stains. But you have to get back up, because when the pain is too much like Andy Dufrense’s you realize the only thing you can count on is yourself, your will and what’s inside your veins. This is your campaign and hope is always a good thing.

13.) Saturday, August 4, 2012
A day on the courts is second to none. Whether the shots are dropping or not a game was won. Competing under the hot California sun, is the only place I wanna run. When the day was done there was only one way to reward our skills: A warm juicy steak fresh from Owl’s grill. Some greens, garlic bread and we didn’t even spill. Every day should be so chill.

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12.) Friday, August 3, 2012
Poker night, big bust.
Brad and Shawn the big winners.
Glad for my checkbook.

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11.) Thursday, August 2, 2012
What gives a flower its beauty? Is it the nutritious soil and warm spring rain? Or is it something more that can’t be explained? Is it love, with a little dash of all of the above? Do flowers have a spirit? Can they feel the smile of a husband’s gift? Do they know they are mending a couples’ rift? Do they see the tears of sadness and joy? They complete anniversaries, weddings and make a dull day bright. They don’t solve problems but they help in making things right. With the hustle and bustle that is Hollywood and Vine, I’d bet not many notice this painting in time. Some buckets of paint, a spare afternoon and a bare wall on a busy street block, this Random Act made me stop dead in my walk. Emotions filled up my soul as I paused to admire, and I strode on feeling alive and inspired.

10.) Wednesday, August 1, 2012
A late-night snack since the end of time, aside from ice cream, popcorn as always been mine. At the movies, on the stove or out of the good ‘ole microwave, sometimes that buttery treat is what I crave. I’ve been known to burn a few bags in my day, but someone told me charcoal helps heal the body so what can I say. The most annoying occurrence of the popcorn snack, is that sweat that ends up covering your eye cracks. Seriously, it’s annoying, but I inquired to my doc, but he only suggested I run around the block. Redenbacher or store brand, it makes no difference to me, I’d set up a popcorn stand and give it away for free. Hell, I’d even eat it off the strings around the Christmas tree.

9.) Tuesday, July 31, 2012
There are sometimes full nights and often full days when I spend all my time in an edit bay. Today was one of them and tomorrow will be too, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy what I do. Going back in and creating the flow, cutting up football and pop culture chats into a fun-moving show. Adding graphics, b-roll and stills make it tight, and have to make sure my facetime is right. A final watch down is a necessity, after that, ship it out and watch its airing on TV. Ya dig.

8.) Monday, July 30, 2012
I have a secret, something in you I want to confide; this will most likely be the first of a few self portraits from the gym, don’t deride. I spend a lot of time there, don’t cast me aside. I’m just like all of you, trying to keep balance and not get fried. From life, the job, whatever’s going on in and outside. Because ultimately it’s you against you with nowhere to hide. It doesn’t matter how much you do, let your gut be your guide. It’s all part of life’s journey, another leg in your ride. Do your best and do it with pride, then you’ll know you can’t be denied. But should there be some bumps, take them in stride. Don’t let your seams become untied, just push through and kick it on the west side.

7.) Sunday, July 29, 2012
An evening on the pitch among friends, chasing spotted ball, the journey never ends. The mission: find with precision the back of the net; while huffing and puffing with each pass, “is it over yet?” Headers, one-timers, saves and near misses; organized chaos complete with sun kisses. A soreness awaits in the morning, no doubt, a million aches from a championship bout. But we’ll be back there again in a week, to wake up our skills from their 7-day sleep, and while right now mastery looks bleak, it’s important to remember, don’t ever sweat the technique.

6.) Saturday, July 28, 2012
There’s so much to appreciate in a picture like this. One wouldn’t think a simple street corner could harbor much bliss. The peacefulness of a cloudless blue sky. Autos whipping down the pavement, red and green their enemies, race by. The changes one block must have undergone through the years; dusty goodbyes and homescomings full of cheers. Can’t you just imagine how many stood at Fairfax and 8th; coffee, backpack and headphones in their perfect place. They waited for the sign to say walk and they went; away from this world and on to a new scent. If the tree could talk, “I’ve seen it all,” he’d say; red light kisses, collisions and the flowers of May. Has a fire truck stopped to do its duty before? Has a taxi dropped off a party of four? Has a child looked out the window so small, staring out to the world while tightly holding her doll? Thoughts and wonders, a gaggle of questions, a simple street corner with infinite confessions.

5.) Friday, July 27, 2012
Costas, Lauer and Olympic Opening Ceremonies. A night in with history puts the mind at peace. Dinner warm from the stove and a belly full, cool breeze through the manor makes me reach for a fleece. Athletes world class marching with pride, the world stage in awe with every stride. The Queen Mum, Bond and even Mr. Bean on hand. Harry Potter, Mary Poppins and British tunes from the Stones to Queen, the band. A five-hour show had only one grand finale. The torch lit high and bright, seen from far away mountains and the deepest European valleys. The 30th Olympic Games are underway and I only have one beat left in my drum: is there anyone cooler or you’d rather be than David Beckham?

4.) Thursday, July 26, 2012
Jason, Brian and Marc took a California trip. Down the PCH they drove in their tiny rented whip. Stops in Frisco, Napa and San L’Obisco they took. Picture after picture taken for their summer vacation book. When the time came for a Santa Monica day, I went out to meet them before they went on their way. We ate, drank, were merry; caught up like friends do. But before long they were off, down freeway 405 to San Diego.

3.) Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Strikes, Spares, Splits and Open Frames. It took a career-best performance from Carvette to top Team Trojan on the lanes. Your hero may have went Casey at the Bat in the final frame. Nevertheless, in Mar Vista there was looseness; the name of the game.

2.) Tuesday, July 24, 2012
A pair of cans around the ears, deep voice in the mic; In a medium built to last, there is the Rich Eisen Podcast. Talented trio, dropping sports quips by the lot; From NFL to pop culture, we’re always on the spot. Name-dropping, Hollywood guests; We aim to entertain and we never rest. Social contests engage the fans, never fleeting; Best way to promote them? Better schedule a meeting. Two pods a week, sometimes three; Personal tales of triumph and misery. Listen online or take it on the go. You won’t regret it, this I know.

1.) Monday, July 23, 2012
Today happens to be my birthday. Never one to make a big deal – I only ever want a Dairy Queen ice cream cake – I thought it could be fun to document the next year of my life in pictures, video and prose. Here’s a short video explaining what I hope to achieve with this project. If the last 365 days are any indication, it should be a fun ride. Hope you enjoy it with me.