bob_dobalina

i read somewhere, sometime that if you're trapped in an elevator and the elevator starts to decend at an alarming rate, you're supposed to lay down flat on the floor so that the car distributes the force of impact. i mention this because i was trapped in the elevator in my apartment building yesterday evening. ascending from the basement with a load of fresh smelling (and clean!) darks and whites, the elevator made a funny noise right before it stopped working. well, actually the elevator always makes funny noises (it's a really old apt. building) but the doors failing to open clued me in that i might be stuck. fortunately, i was in there with a girl that lives on the floor above me, someone i hadn't met before. bernadette, who works at the big top-40 radio station in los angeles, was fresh from having her car break down on her evening commute and had reached her wit's end. despite it all, i couldn't have asked for a nicer person to get stuck in an elevator with.

she agreed that my laundry smelled nice. of course, if a stranger asks you if his laundry smells nice, i'd imagine that other than questioning his motivations for asking, you'd agree.

it wasn't too long before the superintendent had things back in order. of course, since the elevator was out, he had to climb to the roof via the stairs to reset the system. i guess the fuse blows out periodically. the super ain't no spring chicken and what scared me more than the elevator stalling was the pale look and labored breathing that the super had when he finished fixing the damn thing.

i saw my friend rodney the other day. this is the guy who told me that he used to score crack in the building that i live in (it ain't like that no-mo). i've known for a while that rodney had a substance abuse problem and had thought that he was doing something about it. a mutual friend of ours got rodney started on a 12-step and things were going pretty well for a while. he's always been a skinny guy but when i saw him i knew something was up, he lost at least 10 or 15 lbs which is a lot for a beanpole, his teeth looked jacked, and he wouldn't take off his sunglasses. the chart topper was when he lifted his pant leg to reveal that he's got a beeper strapped on... house arrest for posession.

somebody take my credit cards away from me. i've re-discovered my passion for all things ultraviolent and painball recently and decided to scrap my old, reliable paintball gun for a newer, fancier model. what was once a honda civic is now a ferrari. i've gone from sporting levis in the paintball sense to a fresh armani white label suit. this all comes at a rather significant price, i've dropped close to $800 on my paintball gun. well, the gun was only $350 but i just HAD to get some upgrades including a barrel, bolt, and air system (can't run an autococker on co2, now can i?) /geek

walking to the gym the other day i noticed that the street was closed off for yet another movie premier. this time around it was for the x-men sequel, x2. i think tarantino said it best, "i've got more taste in my penis." the walkman was on and nate dogg was in control, "just hit the eastside of the lbc, on a mission tryin to find mr. warren g..." i look up and see some pretty nice eye candy walking in my direction, two hotties leading the way and some old dude who looks like he's doing his best to keep up with the stride steppin bottle blondes. "typical hollywood," i say to myself.. this dude was pushing 65 and i doubt that his two young companions were old enough to legally purchase alcohol. upon closer inspection, as they walk by me, i notice that the old, and suddenly suave, dude is none other than the midnight cowboy, jon voight.

i always did like his movies.