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[ryan-gaeta]

John Wick (I jotted down a list of pros and cons, and yea, I'm thinkin' I'm back.)

Because I closed my last post with a John Wick reference, it only makes sense that my first review back is, well, John Wick. My Keanu Theory Before I start, I have to go into my Keanu theory. After watching a good portion of Keanu Reeves’ filmography, I’ve realized that he shouldn’t touch anything outside sci-fi and action. Think of it in these terms: His action movies (Speed, The Matrix,…

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[ryan-gaeta]

The Symbol that Action Movies Need: Me

Sometimes, after a job’s well done, the opportunity arises to stop your world-changing blog, slow everything down and recede into the comforts of normal human life. Sometimes. After blogging furiously in staunch support of mind-bogglingly over-the-top action flix, there was a resurgence in onscreen punches thrown, an influx of ass kickery, a renegade renaissance, a grown man green screen…

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[ryan-gaeta]

Field Assignment 2 After doing a new campus policy for the second time on my last field assignment, I decided to do an event. I wanted to have fun with it, so considering that I'm a craft beer lover I decided to cover the fourth annual OC Beerfest and interview people there. It also helped that I was lucky enough to be covering the event for a website I'm freelancing for, beerpaperla.com. Was that a shamless plug? The change of scenery and the fact that it was an actual event made this story much more fun. There was such an eclectic mix of people there, it was really easy to get a wide array of responses from people. It was the first time I covered an event under somewhat official pretenses, even though it was freelance work, I felt pretty cool. I found it really easy to grab pictures and interviews as soon as I threw out the "I'm doing a story" words. One challenge I found was, being a live event with live music and a big crowd, it was hard to hear people's responses to questions the closer I got to the music. Luckily, I troubleshooted by getting a couple interviews in before and I actually was able to interview someone after the event. I guess that's just a common bump in the road being in the field. When I was going over one of my interviews I did during the event it was really hard to make out what was being said. It was a really cool opportunity and it was the first time anything of mine had been published, so naturally I sent out the link to everyone. I look forward to see what challenges reporting III will throw my way. Oh yea, here's my especially shameless plug and the story. The website didn't call for interviews on this assignment, more of an event recap, so I didn't include them. Yea, it's brief, but regardless I was pretty excited to see my name on the internet and not regarding social media, haha. http://bit.ly/13O7p4f

[ryan-gaeta]

Fallen Angels

My, how time flies. As the last days of the quarter come around, we've all posted numerous blogs, but I'm kind of embarrassed about my first one. It came from the voice of a very excites Angels fan who "knew" good things were on the horizon. Then the season started. I know it's still just a quarter of the season in, but my team looks abysmal. Yea, a turn around is plausible, but sometimes it seems like they get together and say, "how can we manage to mess this game up?" Pujols looks hard-pressed to engage in bipedal movement and Hamilton, well Hamilton is Hamilton. Aside from looking more concerned with his shampoo brand, the pitcher could throw the ball into the dugout and Hamilton is likely to swing. It's been such a frustrating season that I've sworn off watching games like three times already, but my innate fandom always tricks me into watching a game. I'll admit, during the eight-game winning streak I almost drank the kool aid and thought, " This is it; their early season woes are over." Then the Angels proceeded to lose two in a row and just lost to the baseball behemoths, the Astros-- sarcasm because the Astros are one of few teams who have actually played worse than the Angels. I dunno, maybe I'll swear off watching games again until they hit the .500 mark, but at times I feel like not even that will happen. I feel duped because for the second consecutive year, the team looks terrible to begin the season. For the second consecutive year, the owner spend copious amounts of money in free agency. Now it looks like for the fourth consecutive year, the Angels will watch the playoffs from their respective coaches. I think the lesson learned here, and the Dodgers are learning this too, is that money truly doesn't buy wins. Unless your the Yankees, but I think they mastered that science somehow.

[ryan-gaeta]

So, having seen the previous two, I was kind of duped into seeing "Hangover 3" this week. I call it the "Saw effect". This occurs when, for whatever reason, you find yourself watching installment after installment of a hackneyed movie franchise and when the next one comes out, you watch that too. You rationalize your wasted viewership like this: "well, I saw the first eight, so I owe it to myself to watch the next movie." For the record, I made it through like "Saw 6" before I had to call it quits with that endeavor, and I'm definitely seeing the next "Fast and Furious." The Saw effect is a powerful force. Back to the movie. While not as formulaic as the previous-- there's no baby (as in the first film) or monkey (as in the second film)-- you just can't separate the "this all seems way too familiar" feeling from your head. Another folly of the film is the dark, like inside of a coffin on a moonless night dark, comedy it employs during the opening scenes. The series dabbled in dark comedy in the first two films, but in this instance the movie overstepped its boundaries. They had me at hello and lost me somewhere between giraffe decapitation, mass traffic collisions, and a father dying of a heart attack in the background while his son jams on his "beats by Dre" in the foreground. I dunno, call me soft, call me what you will, but it seemed like too much from the start. Another flaw I found was the overly abundant Leslie Chow screen time. Yea, he's an oddly lovable wildcard, but the appeal of Chow is his capricious nature and his funny-in-small-doses appearances. You want him leaping out of a trunk nude and accosting cast members, or shouting "muda f$#$&" then disappearing for long periods of time. This is not the case in "Hang Over 3," as somehow the movie becomes a bad version of "Get Shorty," but in this case it's Chow. If anything, see it to satisfy the Saw effect, otherwise you can save your money. Alright, "Fast and Furious 12" is starting. I gotta go.

[ryan-gaeta]

The Office Finale So, "The Office" finale aired last night and with it, my last game of "Tequila Thursday." Oh, I should probable describe what "Tequila Thursday" entails. Tequila is the weapon of choice, because my friends and former roommates said so, and the event fell on Thursdays because that's always when "The Office" airs. The rules are simple: whenever John Krasinski's character, Jim, does his trademark look at the camera, pony up and take a shot. If the looks are few and far between, ad lib rules-- whenever Jim pranks Dwight, shot. If your a fan of the show and have a penchant for tequila, I'd recommend trying the game out; it's pretty fun. Anyways, back to the point. Somber sentiments were in the air, and I too couldn't help but feel melancholy-- especially with the cast's testimonials and recollection of past episodes. I've watched this show since its inception and have probably watched the whole series through on Netflix three times, a bit obsessive, I know. After the pre-episode special, the show aired and camera glances and tequila shots alike took place in copious varieties. I won't give away any spoilers for those of you who actually care and recorded the show, but a surprise takes place and really capped off the episode, and with it the series. Through my tequila-ridden haze, I almost, almost welted up, but held strong. I'll only cry at the end of Armageddon when Bruce dies, and that's when the tears really fall. It was sad to see my second favorite comedy of all time-- second only to Seinfeld-- go, but it made since; it was time. After nine seasons, a once perpetually fresh comedy began to feel hackneyed and I didn't want to see it suffer anymore. Sigh. What else is on TV?

[ryan-gaeta]

Field Assignment Thoughts

I finally finished my field assignment. I somehow managed time this weekend while working as a server during the busiest weekend of the year, Mother's Day weekend. Sleep has been scattered, my body kind of aches, but the weekend is almost over and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I learned on this assignment that interviews don't always come easy and you don't always get the interviews you want. You have to find a balance between being persistent, but somehow do it without being pesky-- which I feel people tend to attach that word to journalists. I had one interview set up, everything was good to go, and the subject went awol, just kind of bailed. That was a bit disheartening. Then I had a few non-responses for potential interviews, but I stuck with my direction and altered the course a bit. I feel that a major attribute of a good journalist is the ability to trouble shoot. Traits like that can't be taught and can only come through experience, but with journalism, not everything goes according to plan. If that were the case, a lot of lives would be made easier. In this regard, the ability to troubleshoot becomes key. If one interview falls through, line up related interviews. If another interview just goes bad, hit the story from another angle, because at the end of the day, there is always the deadline and you need to submit something-- ideally, not garble-- to the editor. I had fun organizing the material and setting up interviews, but next time I am definitely doing an event, a fun event. I feel like onsite interviews during an event would be ideal for quotes because the subjects are often riding high emotions. Alright, time to go to work and endure the Mother's Day madness. Wish me luck.

[meraydoughly-blog]

In an Aeroplane Over the Sea

This is one of my all-time favorite songs by one of my favorite bands; Neutral Milk Hotel.

Natural milk hotel was a band that started in 1989 and went on until 1999. At that time, singer Jeff Mangum, had apparently had a nervous breakdown and couldn’t go on with the band. Of course, I was very upset once I realized that I was never going to see one of my favorite bands live. Last April, I was at Coachella standing next to a pizza stand just waiting to meet up with some friends that I had left earlier that night. A few of them showed up and we were all standing in a circle talking until I heard a familiar song in the background. I didn’t think it was real and I kept moving away from my group and closer to the music. Then it hit me, it was Jeff Mangum’s voice! I couldn’t believe it. At that point, I told my friends I had to go and I took off running. That was one of the most dramatic things I have ever done, I don’t usually take off like that, but I just had to go. I couldn’t believe I missed his name on the lineup list, but I was so happy to be in that moment. When my friends followed me, they didn’t understand what I was excited about because they don’t like Neutral Milk Hotel. I think I was the happiest person that night. I thought this was a one-time thing and I would never see the whole band together. As to my surprise, a few days ago the band posted an announcement that they would be touring again and just released some dates. The dates are all in Europe, but I am hoping that they will make their way out here.

[ryan-gaeta]

I love this album from Neutral Milk Hotel. This album is the "God Father" film of modern indie. The guy's lyrics are so bizarre too. I just feel like their other stuff isn't even close to this in terms of awesomeness.

[ryan-gaeta]

Coffee is good, but sometimes I feel that I’m relying too heavily on it to pry me out of bed and into the land of the living. Seriously. I wake up struggling, eyelids sealed shut, then I make a mad dash to the coffee maker or my beloved “Starbucks.” I then proceed to gulp down copious amounts of glorious caffeinated beverage until I can form a coherent sentence.

I think the point I’m trying to make is I’m depending too much on that black gold. If I try going a morning without the stuff, I’m zombie-like, catatonic. I think the problem lies in my super-nightowl status, as I can’t even think about going to bed before 1 a.m. I’ve never been a morning person, and without the caffeinated strings that pull my marionette-like self through the day, I might be lost.

I dunno, maybe I need a substitute, or maybe I should just go cold turkey; I just don’t feel like being the “Walking Dead” personified in the morning. I’ve tried the energy drink thing, but those make me twitchy like a crazy person and the highs and lows are drastic. I also feel like most energy drinks taste like cough syrup. I could do tea, but I’m not British and tea doe not have that umph that I need to get me out of my lethargy. Maybe cold turkey is the answer. I just need to dredge through my morning funk and I’ll be fine as the day goes on. That’s where the real problem lies. In the morning, I feel like I’m moving in slow-motion as the sandman stands there laughing at my futile attempt to shake off the cobwebs of sleep I’ve gathered.

Alright, I’ve made my decision. No more coffee after tomorrow, or maybe the next day, or maybe…

[ryan-gaeta]

Whenever I’m feeling down, up, normal, actually whenever I need an outlet in general, I turn to music. I’ve been playing guitar for around fifteen years now and, to this day, I find nothing more cathartic than music. I think it’s really important to have some means of an emotional outlet in this crazy life we live. For some, it’s exercise, knitting, zoomba, whatever.

Every know and then, you just need a means of purging all the shananigans you tend to accrue from day to day or else it can consume you; it can boil over and lead to writing messages in lipstick on your mirror to your special friends that no one else can see. In short, you can go crazy— I just got back from the store to purchase more mirror lipstick. But I digress, it really is therapeutic to find something that you love and turn to it when you need to go to your special place. I prefer my guitar because I’m able to transpose whatever I’m feeling into the sonic realm. If I’m feeling emo or melancholy, I’ll grab bessy (my guitar has a name) and strum, usually some slow, deliberate, morose melody will resonate. However, if I’m feeling happy, I’ll automatically start playing something upbeat while smiling manically, something like ska or Taylor Swift, I mean ska. If I’m angry, my guitar becomes a wooden punching bag and starts spewing thick, gritty metal/punk sounds, something like Metallica or Propaghandi.

I think the point I’m trying to make is that having an emotional crutch— like the guitar is for me— is an invaluable tool. It’s helpful in many situations; I still play everyday, not to work on my chops, but to syphon off the shananigans I mentioned early. I guess, the more I think about it, my guitar is like a musical diary, so go find yours.

[ryan-gaeta]

There's an artist's rendering of my sad truck after being hit last week. Sigh. After the guy hit me, the first thing to come out of his mouth was "are you ok?" That's good, I thought. At least a decent human being is ruining my day. It was the second thing he said; however, that immediately contradicted my initial assessment, "can we just call this a hit and run?" Uhhhh, no. This is the second time and second car of mine that has been hit in eight months, and the first time actually was a hit and run. I am not ready to relive that nightmare, and with those asinine words he uttered, I could see sleepless nights ahead. I almost concussed myself with a furious face-palm. After I cleared the cobwebs from both the accident and the subsequent face-palm, I explained to the silly motorist that there's absolutely no way I can call it a hit and run, because my insurance company would certainly face-palm themselves at my hapless claim. No thanks, guy. Let's do this through insurance. After haphazardly exchanging information, I bid farewell to my car's assassin and assured him we'd be in contact. I had to get home; my takeout breakfast burrito was getting cold and it was only adding to my anger. Cold burrito, smashed truck, asinine requests, what's next? Home now, and about to bite into my frigid food-tube, I saw an incoming call from "Tom can't drive." It took a second to process. Oh, the destroyer of my day, the freezer of burritos, the "I'm gonna switch lanes and smash into your vehicle because I do what I want" driver. Even in moments of duress I make myself laugh, "Tom can't drive." Damn, that's clever. I answered the phone, my hand chilled from what used to be a burrito, now a near icicle. Enter, TCD (Tom Can't Drive), "do you mind not going through insurance and I'll pay you cash?" I pondered a moment. I just wanted to be done with it, to call our respective insurance companies and be done with it. Eventually, I honored his request. I got the quote, sent him the quote and awaited his response. After a couple days of nonresponse, he got back to me. "We're going to do this through insurance," he said. Wow! That's all I wanted. You hit my car. You made ludicrous requests. You turned my burrito into a snack only Frosty the Snowman would enjoy. Finally, you wasted my time for no reason. Now I sit here with a popsicle of a burrito and the side of my car smashed, waiting for the situation to be resolved. Thanks TCD!

[ryan-gaeta]

Guest speaker Doug Spoon

Our guest speaker tonight is Professor Doug Spoon, who teaches in the communication department of Cal Poly Pomona. Spoon, a self-professed history and sports nut, grew up a Dodgers fan and ended up covering them for a daily news paper.

His journalism career has taken him many places that would leave fellow sports fans, myself included, green with envy. He has covered notable sporting events like the 1984 Olympics, the Dodgers World Series, the Angels World Series, and one of his favorite memories, the Stanley Cup in Quebec. Even considering all of these memories, Spoon is quick to point out that despite that journalism, despite where it takes you, has its ups and downs. “Sometimes journalism is not as glamorous as people think,” Spoon said when reflected on being at the Dodgers World Series and missing the famous Gibson home run.

While covering dozens of sporting events for publications like the Pasadena Star News and San Diego Tribune, Spoon has also encountered a myriad of famous athletes and sports figures like Tommy Lasorda, Orel Hershiser, and even Magic Johnson.

Eventually, after 35 years in the field, Spoon decided it was time to hang up the pen pad and pencil in 2007 and begin teaching. When he’s not teaching in Cal Poly Pomona’s communication department, Spoon spends his time tracing his genealogy, which he proudly has tracked back to 1531, and riding his mountain bike while taking pictures of local wild life.

Apparently, his journalism blood runs thick, as Spoon’s son has followed in his father’s footsteps with a career in journalism working as a sports editor. He also has a daughter and six grandchildren.

For his graduating students, Spoon leaves this wise advice, “Don’t be afraid to take any opportunity, do as many internships as you can. Do whatever you can to keep your name out there with people.”

[prisillacontreras-deactivated20]

I have a friend that believes crying shows weakness. She never likes to show emotion to the point where she might cry because it embarrasses her. If she feels any pain she will cry in silence and when she is sure no one can see her. I however, believe crying is not something to be ashamed of. I...

[ryan-gaeta]

In our culture, men are expected to put on a macho facade and be devoid of emotion, but I really think that can be detrimental to their well being. I feel like, if you don't display some sort of emotion and you're totally stoic all of the time, negative emotions will accumulate and begin to effect you. Crying and other emotional displays can be a means to purge those negative feelings. I totally agree with your post.

[ryan-gaeta]

I mustache you a question? Why are guys enamored with and girls repulsed by mustaches? I'm Italian, which is a condensed way of saying, "my five o' clock shadow is more like a 72 hour shadow." Seriously, if they made a Gillette Mach 27, I'd be the first one in line. Having chia-pet-level level beard growth is both a blessing, and a curse. On one hand, I have to shave everyday if I don't have a beard, and with the thickness that is only customary of Gaeta brand beards, shaving hurts. For me, shaving is somewhere between trying to cut off Bob Marley's dreads with a butter knife and waxing Robin Williams' chest-- no fun. However, I've also been blessed with a fleshy, hair-ridden palate, and damn it, sometimes I want to paint. Enter... Mustache. I've had beards of all shapes and sizes: the chin strap, the goatee, the goat, side burns that could slice deli meats, the Tony Stark (one of my personal favorites), and even the age old Abe Lincoln. The one facial hair style that I've always avoided was a highly controversial one: the mustache. As polarizing as it is deadly, as sexy as it is deviant, the mustache has been engrossing droves of men and creeping out ladies for years. I figured it was time for me to give it a shot (refer to awesome picture above). But why such a split between the sexes? The more I think about it, and considering my crash and burn mustache attempt, I think I've found the answer. Who's seen the movie Tombstone? Just as I thought, all three of you who are reading this. And out of the three of you, who thought Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday-- and, well every male character for that matter-- was an awesome badass? Yes! That's because they were awesome badasses, and guess what, they all had mustaches. I think men associate mustaches with intensity and all around badassdom (yes, badassdom). It took us years before we could grow one, so mustaches are kind of a rite of passage and an attempt at said badassdom. Women, on the other hand, associate mustaches with completely different symbols. They hear mustache and they think of a man in a dilapidated ice cream truck hawking Hot Wheels to school kids, they think creepy. The girl I was dating at the time of my attempt at badassdom refused to kiss me until I shaved it off. As enticing as the mustache was, I caved. My upper lip has been freezing ever since. In my brief time with a mustache, I learned many things. Guys love them. All of my friends congratulated me on my shaving endeavor, even strangers were quick to give me the brief nod of approval or fist bump. However, girls hate them, and despite who you're talking to, nothing you say is taken seriously-- probably because you're walking around with a punchline attached to your face. The mustache hasn't been back since, but I'll never forget its warm, hairy embrace.

[zahreenuh]

As reclusive and introverted as I am, I may as well start getting used to posting things in public domain and having my thoughts and opinions for everyone to see. It comes with the territory of being a journalist after all. Besides, my tumblr has such a small readership no one would probably see...

[ryan-gaeta]

I was also reticent of posting my thoughts and feelings on an open forum, but after a little practice, it got easier and easier. I too am a journalism major, albeit for different reasons. That's a very admirable reason to enter journalism. Good luck! I promise it gets easier, even for us introverts .

[ryan-gaeta]

Angels > Dodgers

That time of year has come when everybody reaches deep inside their closets to dust off and dawn their Angels red and Dodgers blue colors. Both teams have been frivolous in the past two off seasons— to say the least— and both boast formidable line ups. As an Angels fan, I was sad to see my favorite pitcher, Dan Haren, and favorite outfielder, Tori Hunter leave the team, but I was elated to see the addition of Josh Hamilton; I’m still kind of incredulous. Then, the Dodgers struck and snatched perennial ace, Zack Greinke, out from under us. Both teams have pulled no punches in this off season arms race, the battle for dominion over Southern California baseball. The two teams shot for the moon last year— the Dodgers pretty much absorbed any remaining Boston talent, while the Angels added the best hitter of his generation, Pujols— but fell miserably short of their post season goals. Considering last year’s short comings, I feel that both teams have nowhere to go but up. The Dodgers, on paper at least, have a very impressive pitching rotation and a matching lineup, while the Angels, whose rotation is weakened from last year, have an equally impressive lineup and can only benefit with the addition of Southern punching bags, the Astros, into their divisions. So the question remains: what team will perform better this year? Obviously I’m biased, so I have to say the Angels, but I’d be lying if I said the Dodgers will have another poor year; there’s way too much talent on that team to have a repeat of last season.

With both teams flexing their financial muscle, fans of the Southern California franchises have stepped up in annual smack talk, while continuing their ongoing search for California’s Atlantis, Los Angeles of Anaheim. The search continues. Both teams have opened up the season with matching 1-2 records and both have yet to display the full potential, or perceived potential, of their lineups.

Whoever finishes with a better record, one thing seems certain: fans of both teams are in for a fun year.

[ryan-gaeta]

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